Spend the Christmas Holiday in Italy

Christmas is a magical time in Italy, offering visitors many tradition-rich sights and events, many of which can be enjoyed at no extra cost. Here are some of the things you can during the holiday season in Italy:

Christmas markets, or mercatini di Natale, take place from late November through Christmas Eve or the Feast of the Epiphany (January 6th) in cities throughout the country. In festively decorated piazzas, enjoy holiday music, lively street entertainments, and traditional tastes of the season as you peruse artisan vendor stalls for those last-minute gifts and souvenirs. If you're travelling with children, be on the lookout for La Befana, the benevolent witch who delivers presents to Italian children on the Feast of the Epiphany, the original gift-giving day here. For details, visit the tourism board websites of Rome, Venice, Bolzano, and Florence. In any city you visit, the tourism office will have information on Christmas markets.

Visit the creches, or nativity scenes. This remarkable tradition, in which materials of various kinds are used to re-create Christ's birth in the manger, possibly dates back as far as the second century A.D., although its was St. Francis who popularized the practice among Catholics in the 13th century. Today, the building of the creche, or presepe in Italian, is done by parishioners, often children, in churches throughout Italy, whether large cities or tiny villages. To see the presepi, start by visiting the main cathedral (duomo) of the town you're in, then tour the smaller churches. In cities such as Venice, you can follow a special creche itinerary, as well as in Naples, where the presepe tradition is particularly strong.

Take a Christmas lights walking tour. Italians take pride in adorning their cities with brilliant street lights and other festive decorations, then wandering the town to marvel at the sights. Join the Italian holiday spirit - window shop, stop to sample roasted chestnuts, listen to carollers in the piazza.

Attend midnight mass. Even if you are not Catholic, you will be welcome to celebrate and observe alongside Italians in cathedrals filled with light and song. Mass in St. Peter's Square in Rome draws Catholics from around the world.

Eat a traditional Christmas meal. Christmas dinner in Italy is a real treat, and you'll find many restaurants serving traditional specialties this time of year. Be sure to try capitone, sea eel that can be baked, stewed, or skewered; capone, a young rooster specially treated then roasted and served with tortellini in brodo, stuffed pastas in a savory broth. Fish may be the more common menu item on Christmas Eve, as traditionally meat is forsaken on this day. For your sweet tooth, there's pannetone, a light sponge cake filled with candied fruits, or the denser version of this cake, panforte. Torrone, a nougat candy made with toasted almonds and honey, comes in small pieces or larger, nicely wrapped portions convenient for taking home. Buon Natale!