You will find Christmas celebrations all over Italy, but today I want to give you a feeling of what you could see, smell and touch if you go to Rome in December! #1 Piazza Navona Christmas Market: Romes largest piazza also holds the Rome's largest Christmas market. You will find several stands selling different nativity figures, toys, decorations, gifts, and all kinds of Christmas sweets! There is a merry-go-round and Father Christmas (also known as Babbo Natale) makes an appearance! A large nativity scene is erected in the piazza later in the month too! I love strolling through the piazza this time of the year! #2 Saint Peter's Square: A HUGE Christmas tree is erected each year next to the oblisk in the middle of the square. A life size nativity scene is built from scratch each year and not unveiled until Christmas Eve. The Pope says midnight mass inside St Peter's Basilica and it is shown on big screen TVs that are set up in the square. #3 Santa Maria Maggiore Christmas Crib: The nativity in Santa Maggiore is said the be the oldest permanent nativity scene. It is carved out of marble for the first Jubilee held in 1300. Below the altar in the church is a reliquary said to contain pieces of the original manger. Who wouldn't want to see that? #4 Christmas Trees: Not generally a tradition, but becoming more popular is the Christmas Tree in Italy. Rome will usually erect one in Piazza Venezia and next to the Colosseum, and in the area in front of the Museums on the Capitoline Hill. Some shops, hotels, and restaurants display small trees usually decorated fairly simple, with just lights. I saw my first EVER black Christmas Tree in Rome!! Still don't know what I think about it!! This is the one thing I missed about Christmas in Italy was the lack of Christmas trees in every window like we have in the USA. #5 Roasted Chestnuts: Everywhere you walk you smell the amazing aroma of roasted chestnuts! Vendors are roasting and selling them on several street corners. There are roving musicians and Rome's main streets are decorated with lights! There is also a small Christmas market set up near Castel Sant'Angelo and an outdoor ice skating rink!
