“Buon Natale e Felice Anno Nuovo!” declared Lauren Lombardo, wishing the crew of Life-Wire News Service a merry Christmas and happy New Year. After graduating from the College of Staten Island, Lombardo moved to Naples to paint and ended up living there for the next eight years. While there, she taught painting, wrote two children’s books and became immersed in the local culture.

“I was very lucky to spend a couple of winters with friends who invited me into their home to celebrate Christmas,” the Grasmere resident said. “So I got to see how real Italian family living in Italy celebrates. And I have to say it’s very, very beautiful and different from Staten Island tradition.”