15 Best Things To Do For Christmas In Rome

Coliseum at Christmas

Christmas in Rome is a very special season. Here’s our list of the 15 Best Things To Do For Christmas In Rome 2016 with lots of great ideas for things to do if you are in Rome at Christmas time in 2016. 1. Christmas Markets ‘Tis the season to be jolly, so to get yourself in the mood, venture out into one […]

How to Prevent Colds and Sore Throats with Christmas Cake

Via Paolo Sarpi in Milan at Christmas 2014

Well, I’m sure you are dying to know how the blazes Christmas cake can prevent colds and sore throats, so I’ll explain. The Christmas tradition in Milan goes that if you put a piece of your Christmas Day Christmas cake away until the 3rd February, when said piece of cake should be eaten, you’ll invoke the […]

Irene Grandi’s Dreaming of a White Christmas in Italian

Italian singer Irene Grandi’s Bianco Natale, a version of that Christmas classic I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas is at 16th place in Italy’s Christmas charts. Italy’s pop people are not really into Christmas songs which may explain why MTV Italia’s Christmas Hits top 20 list is dominated by songs by non-Italian artists. Even Irene Grandi’s […]

I’m Dreaming of a White Wine Christmas

Italy's best Pinot Grigio ?

For a country that produces some of the most popular and widely-drunk white wines in the world, Italians have a curious reluctance to drink very much of it themselves. The latest figures – for 2013 – show that Italy actually produced more white wine (53%) than red (47%), with the bulk of it drunk outside […]

Get a Taste of Christmas in Verona

Taste of Christmas is foodie heaven! – A truly unique event where upmarket and knowledgeable ‘foodies’ come to sample stunning signature dishes from the latest, greatest and most exciting restaurants of Verona in Italy. When: From Friday November 28, 2014 at 6:00 pm to Sunday November 30, 2014 at 11:00 pm Where: AMO-Arena Museo Opera Palazzo […]

Christmas Wines Part One – Fizzies. Stickies. And A Drop Of The Hard Stuff.

In the three remaining Italian wine notes of the year, I thought I’d give you a few ideas for good – and good value – Italy inspired Christmas drinking. Last time out, I told you how you could rustle-up a particularly good home-made Limoncello that’s perfect as a festive gift for friends and family. And […]

Christmas? Limoncello Time! Here are Two Limoncello Recipes.

Bottled-up and ready to enjoy

Yes, I know Christmas is still three months away, but when it comes to festive drinking, you can’t start planning too far ahead. In coming weeks, I’ll be offering a few suggestions about wines for the holiday season, but I thought I’d start things off with a delicious treat you can not only enjoy yourself, […]

Where does La Befana Live in Italy? Find out here!

La Befana is an Italian tradition with many places laying claim to her. Barga, too, lays claim, and titles itself the “Citta della Befana” (Town of Befana). The Children La Befana comes to Barga Vecchia (Old Barga) on January 5th, to meet the children, many of whom dress up in traditional costumes for the event.  […]

La Befana Appears in Tuscany

La Befana

Throughout my life, until I came to Barga in Tuscany, New Year’s Day marked the end of the Christmas season; all bar the clearing up that is. January 6th (Epiphany) was merely the traditional day to take down all the decorations and, by then, life had already returned to its routines. However, in Italy, Epiphany […]