The medieval village of Greccio is one of Italy's most beautiful yet lesser-known villages. Perched on the hillside of the Rieti province, approximately 80km north of Rome, a row of rustic stone houses crawls along the edge of the hill, peering down onto the expanse of the valley below. For most of the year, Greccio's 1,500 inhabitants live a peace...

In Naples, the Christmas season is marked by a delightful array of sweets, with roccocò standing out as a traditional favorite. These treats, which share the spotlight with other popular festive delights like struffoli, raffioli, mostaccioli, and susamielli, are essential to the festive atmosphere in Neapolitan homes.  Characterized by their donut-...

Fish has been enjoyed during the Cenone, or Christmas Eve meal in Italy since antiquity. The Christmas Eve Feast of the Seven Fishes is a traditional Italian American banquet-style meal usually comprised of several different seafood courses.  The number of courses or types of fish served at the meal is open to interpretation. Some people maintain t...

The Christmas Gift (Il Dono di Natale) is a book written in 1930 by the Italian (Sardinian) author Grazia Deledda (1871 - 1936). She studied literature on her own and started writing when she was very young following the inspiration provided by Sardinian peasants and their struggles. One of the features of her work was the presence of a strong conn...

Christmas sees on the tables of Italians the triumph of two traditional desserts par excellence: Pandoro and Panettone. During the Festive season of 2022, according to research by Unione Italiana Food, the total production of the two leavened products amounted to 73,502 tons, worth 552.1 million €. Pandoro and Panettone also very popular abroad: th...

The pilgrimage town of Assisi in Italy's central Umbria region lights up this Christmas in honour of the first living Nativity scene created by St Francis in Greccio north of Rome in 1223. Assisi marks the 800th anniversary by illuminating its monuments and streets as part of the Natale in Assisi: Città Presepe programme with more than 250 events....

From November 18th to January 7th, Arezzo lights up in a festive spectacle with the Christmas City Event (Città Del Natale), which has already welcomed over 100,000 visitors during the weekend of December 9-10. Let’s explore together what makes this Christmas season in the historic Tuscan city so special. Arezzo has transformed into an authentic Ch...

Christmas in Italy is festive, with markets, lights, Christmas trees, and music in the streets. And the best part is that the Christmas season lasts an entire month!  The Christmas season in Italy starts on December 8th (Immaculate Conception) and ends on January 6th (Epiphany), giving you plenty of time to experience the seasonal magic. Here are a...

Sant’Agata Feltria is a small town about an hour south of Bologna, famous for its castle, Rocca Fregoso,  and its Christmas market. A visit to this town is like a walk through a Christmas postcard and a visit to the wonderful world of fairy tales. Every year, from the end of November to the end of December, the streets of the historic center are fi...

Direct from sold-out concerts at Carnegie Hall, Café Carlyle and 54 Below Nightclub, Anthony Nunziata – with his Michael Buble/Andrea Bocelli-esque voice – will win your heart and applause on a special one-night-only performance on Saturday December 23rd 7:30pm at Yorktown Stage. His hit holiday show includes your Christmas favorites, Italian arias...