Rick Steves' European Christmas: Italy

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Goodies From Reggio Calabria, Italy

Every time someone in my family heads out to Italy, its expected that on the return the person brings back the most coveted Italian items that we crave --food wise, that we can't find here in the states. So, as you already know, my mother was in Reggio Calabria for a couple of weeks, so upon her return which is a ritual we all gather at her house waiting for her and who ever got assigned to pick her up to come back to the house. When she gets back to the house, its like Christmas all over, we wait for her to unpack her bags because we all know, its goody time. This time because my mother spent the holidays in Italy, the goody list was especially nice. We were bombarded with petrali, torrone, of course someone sent a Panettone,honey, limoncello, cheese, olives, marinated mushrooms (i kid you not), & biscotti. Now, of course everything she brings back has to be sealed and passable, nothing illegal. The airports don't joke around when it comes restricted items. After she unloads her suitcase and again I kid you not she brings back no clothes, just stuff to eat and some other gifts, we eat in a big mess on the table and just start opening everything and enjoying it. This is by far one of our favorite things to do upon returning from an Italy trip. On that note, I am off to go get some more goodies, I just can't help myself. So good. Tweet

Midnight Mass 2008 From St. Peter's Basilica--Rome, Italy

Its Christmas Eve, and in preparing for the holiday, we will watch along with millions from around the world the midnight mass from Rome, given by the Pope. The mass is most definitely one of the most beautiful and spiritual masses given. The magnitude of the Catholic church and its followers from around the world are seen in Rome tonight. Its pretty amazing, be sure to watch. This year we really need to pray for the world and each other. The broadcast times vary so, check your local listings today. Buon Natale a tutti.

St. Peter's Basilica Tweet

What Are Your Italian American Christmas Traditions?

As Italian Americans we all share the fact that we descend from Italy with our family traditions and set cultures. With time our traditions and ways have evolved with the American lifestyle and we've managed to create a combination of two cultural identities. This Christmas we will all gather together and practice those traditions. Some of you might cook fish on Christmas Eve or go to church. Is there an important dish someone will continue to cook and carry the traditions on for? Let's talk about Christmas and how you will be celebrating your Italian American Christmas this year? Tell us about your Italian American traditions? Do you think you keep your Italian heritage alive? I invite you all to comment on this post, lets share our similarities and learn more about others. Tweet

Christmas Vacation In Italy.

Some people have planned ahead and are able to travel this holiday season, if you're looking to do something different and experience a trip of a lifetime then Christmas in Italy just might be the remedy for you. Celebrating Christmas in Italy is like nothing you will ever experience here in the states. Christmas is Christmas, its not about buying tons of gifts or being pissed off that your in laws are coming over, its really about the religion of Christmas.

Often times, we get so caught up here in America with the phony hoopla of Christmas that we forget the true meaning of our faith. In Italy, there is a real sense of faith and just a rawness to the experience that you won't be able to ever duplicate, its amazing. So, if you're in the market to have a true, spiritual, real and authentic holiday, then packing your bags and heading out to Italy will be the best money you ever spent.

If you're thinking about planning a last minute trip..I suggest you get your ticket ASAP, seats have sold out on a lot of airlines due to the demand and lesser flights. My suggestion would be fly into Rome, you know that saying.."All roads lead to Rome," its true. From Rome, you can go anywhere and its accessible to all the major sights and authentic surrounding towns. I found a great site that was created by a woman in the travel industry, who lived in Rome for years. The site is complete with everything from where to stay to where to eat. Its incredibly detailed.

Check it out:
http://www.initaly.com/regions/xmas/xmas.htm Tweet