Christmas in Italy

 It has been a season of discovery...for sure!  Here are just a few pics of magical Christmas things that we have found in Italy. This country really knows how to celebrate this special holiday!

 

Italian Santa Clauses

Piazza in Assisi decorated with Gobo lights

Street in Rome with Christmas lights

Beautiful cakes and an edible manger scene 

Hotel lobby Christmas tree and ...

...mini live Christmas tree decorated by the children in our complex.

Life-sized nativity on lawn in front of the Basilica of St. Frances in Assisi.

And, last but not least....decorations in our very own little apartment! 

Christmas is alive and well in Italy!!!

 

The Visitors Center

 We have recently taken a few turns filling in at the desk at the Visitors Center adjacent to the temple.

It is a beautiful building nicely decorated with impressive artwork 

and displays available for visitors to browse. 

It is particularly fun to meet people from many different countries.

We also love the chance to chat with the young missionaries who use their impressive 

Italian language skills to share information and messages about 

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with visitors. 

It has been a real treat to serve a little bit at the Visitors Center!

Carciofi alla Giudia - Jewish-style Artichokes

A walk through the former Jewish Ghetto in Rome introduced us to this delicious delicacy!! The man sitting outside in front of the Il Giardino Romano restaurant was kind enough to show us how he cleans and cuts the artichokes... and gave us permission to take his picture!

Then inside the restaurant the artichokes are cooked and served in a variety of ways. Here is our salad of fresh marinated slices, breaded and fried wedges and a whole smashed and fried flower-shaped artichoke with crispy outer leaves and a soft and tender middle...each dish unique and so yummy!

A few days later, at the Mercato, we saw mounds of artichokes for sale. 

When we found artichoke wedges ready to cook, 

and we had to buy some to experiment with at home.  

Our version of fried artichokes came out "okay" but not near as good 

as the ones we had in the Jewish Ghetto. 

It is so fun to taste and try new things!!

Panetone and Pandoro Pandemonium

 There is always fun in store when Katie is around! It was great to have her with us for about a week.     She had us play a game by selecting and taste-testing different Panetone. The stores are filled with towering displays of boxes of various flavors cakes.

During our game, we learned that this tall, star-shaped, light and fluffy cake is not a Panetone at all but is   called Pandoro. We also did some research and learned that this popular Christmas treat dates back to 1495. During a fancy Christmas banquet given by the Duke of Milan, the dessert burned. A young cook called Toni came up with a rich brioche bread filled with raisins and candied fruit. The Duke loved it and so began the tradition or "Pane di Toni" (bread of Toni)!!! Later in 1821 Panettone become the symbol of liberty in Italy. Red candied cherries and green-colored citrus were added to create the red, white and green Italian flag. Or so the story goes...

Panetone are usually round in shape, of a dense texture and can be filled 

with citron, raisins, and puddles of Nuttella, pistachios or lemon pudding. 

The ones we tasted were delicious and we could hardly decide which was best tasting. 

Did you know that left-over Panetone and Pandoro can be made into divine French Toast!?!? 

We voted unanimously that this was our favorite way to eat these cakes!!  

Saint Peter's Basilica - Vatican City, Rome

A lovely afternoon/evening walk in Rome took us to Saint Peter's Basilica. 

It was the perfect day and time to avoid the typical crowds. 

Bravery and curiosity compelled us to make our way up to the dome. From there we were able to get a better perspective of the size of the basilica. We also got a good look at the millions of mosaic tiles.... (see the 1/2 inch gold squares in the above photo).  

...that it took to create the many, many intricate and beautiful designs on the walls and ceilings.

The bright blue squares at the top of this picture show the dome walkway where we were able to look a long way down to the floor of the vast cathedral. 

We learned that the structure was begun in 1506 and completed in 1626 

and that it is the largest church in the world by interior measure. It is massive and beautiful!

This is a sculpture by Michelangelo 1498-1499 call the Pietà.  

 

St. Peter's Square is decorated with an enormous Christmas tree with animated lights, 

and a life-sized wooden manger scene.

 The columned areas around the piazza displayed over 100 different manger scenes from around the world. It was a sweet experience to see so many celebrating Christmas by remembering and honoring

the birth of the Christ child.

Cemetery Italian-style

Beth's life-long interest in cemeteries prompted a walk on a foggy afternoon 

toward the cemetery in Assisi, Italy.

Here is what we stumbled upon. A walled enclosure on the outskirt of town with rows of concrete vaults, sealed with a marble plaque with a small photo of the deceased. 

It is obvious that many people commission architects and artists to design special mausoleums, chapels and tombs. There are also many well tended graves. It was kind of an open-air museum of funeral art. Fascinating!

 

Italian Manger Scenes - Presepe or Presepio

 The Visitors Center at the Rome Temple is decorated for Christmas. There are several traditional Christmas trees and lights but the most amazing decoration are the elaborate Nativity Scenes.

This one is very large - the figures are about 8 or 9 inches tall. It is beautiful!

This one capture our attention. The scene is set in Ancient Rome. It takes an artist to create these details!

Here is a link to a very interesting blog article that share 15 facts about these Italian manger scenes.  

https://rossiwrites.com/italy/christmas-in-italy/presepe-italy-nativity-scenes/

Magical Music Moment

Sometimes tender mercies and heavenly hugs come in Musical Packaging. 

I was running early for our shift at the temple, Frank was home recovering from a bad cold, so I went into the Visitors Center to look around for a bit. I bumped in to our friend and fellow Temple co-worker. In Italian, with some English, he asked if I would like to join him and his classical guitar in the large windowed room where the Christus statue is located. 

YES, grazie!! 

Those few minutes of a spontaneous "concert" touch my heart in so many ways. Just 3 other people were in the room at the time, outside the window was the beautiful Rome temple, inside the room was the magnificent sculpture of Christ, the acoustics echoed the simple melody of Silent Night played by a talented, humble and kind friend. On top of all that emotion came thoughts of my Dad who played the guitar and who would have appreciated this casual, surprise performance. I was overwhelmed with the tender Heavenly message of love orchestrated just for me. It was amazing! 

Click on this SILENT NIGHT link to go to YouTube to listen to our friend and his beautiful music.

Before I left I sat by him to tell him how much I appreciated his music and just then he started playing the Primary song "I Am a Child of God" and I started quietly singing the words. He encouraged me to continue and we shared a very sweet duet. What a magical, musical moment!

DECK the "Italian" HALLS (or in Italian "Conciata per le feste") - FA-LA-LA-LA-LA----LA-LA-LA-LA!

The big Porta di Roma Mall is fantastically decorated for Christmas.

Even the small shopping strip near our apartment is beautifully lit.

TIS the SEASON to be JOLLY!! 

 

The Tempting Tastes of an Italian Christmas

What fun we are having excavating the delicious traditions of Christmas in Italy! Here are some things we have tasted and others that know will know pull out teeth out so we just take pictures of them. Above, is Panetone topped with Pistachio-filled Cream Puffs AND Almond Brittle....

Mini Chocolate Chip Panetone and Pistachio Quaranta....

Struffoli (this is a treat that Frank makes every year) AND Panetone filled with Lemon Cream....

This may be Beth's favorite discovery.... Mastoccioli Cookies!!!! A spicy soft cookie dipped in chocolate. DELICIOUS!!