It was early December in Solomeo, Italy, about 20 miles from Perugia, the capital of Umbria, and the night sky was an inky blue dotted with stars. The air was chill and suffused with the earthy fireplace smell of wood burning in steel drums, as cheerful crowds of locals meandered in that distinctive, laissez-faire European way along narrow passageways lined with the booths that make up one of Italy’s famed holiday markets.
Vendors hawked their charming wares: locally made jams, dark bottles of wine, knit stuffed animals, Christmas ornaments, jewelry, and more. A jolly band danced through the picturesque layout of buildings, playing carols ranging from “Silent Night” to “Happy Xmas (War Is Over).” In a small bar just off the square, a group of men stood shoulder to shoulder around a television, birras in hand, enrapt by a soccer match.
