Christmas in Rome If you booked your trip to Rome during Christmas time, you’re in luck! Of course Rome is stunning at any time of year, but on Christmas, Rome is full of magic that will make your stay unforgettable. Read on to learn more about the Christmas season in Rome, as well as Christmas traditions, Christmas food and the most beautiful places you must visit on your Roman holiday. Take a stroll around the historical center of Rome, and you will soon realize that Christmas in Rome is not just a about pretty lights. What makes the atmosphere so special is the people, the mood, the smells and decorations. The stores are all decked out and full of people in a rush to get their Xmas shopping done. Crazy Roman traffic gets even crazier, and the police don't seem to care. A mouthwatering aroma of roasted chestnuts, and caramel coated nuts, fill the streets. The city seems to be transformed into Christmas wonderland, and you wish it never ended. This is what your Roman experience will be like when you spend Christmas in Rome. Only one thing is missing on Christmas in Rome, the snow. Christmas in Rome: Shopping for local Christmas souvenirs Myriad of small and big shops open up for the season. From small kiosks, to entire markets dedicated to the Christmas presents, toys and decorations. In most of these Christmas markets and shops you will find handcrafted souvenirs ranging from baubles, stars and angels to pottery, glassware and hand-carved wooden Pinocchio dolls, toy Vespa scooters and Fiat 500's. The most famous and central Christmas market is in Piazza Navona, this square is arguably the most beautiful in the world, and the market makes it just mesmerizing. After a few years of closure, the market is back
Christmas in Rome If you booked your trip to Rome during Christmas time, you’re in luck! Of course Rome is stunning at any time of year, but on Christmas, Rome is full of magic that will make your stay unforgettable. Read on to learn more about the Christmas season in Rome, as well as Christmas
Piazza Navona is one of the most beautiful and fascinating places in the center of Rome. Its current aspect is a consequence of the patronage from one of the most well-known patrician families, the Pamphilis. Through it, they wanted to celebrate their nobility, which had been overshadowed by the political and social rise of their rival families, the Farneses and Barberinis. Piazza Navona was built on the site of an ancient arena, built by the Emperor Domitian in the first century AD, and it actually kept its original form. The arena was used for different sporting events and also public gatherings. Once a year (almost always in August) it was flooded with cold water, coming from the aqueducts nearby in order to bring refreshment to the people during the hottest days of summer. Maybe this is the reason why the legend according to which naval battles were played in it was born; nowadays the legend is still passed on, but there are very few track records. Piazza Navona is a beautiful, romantic, and a lively place, full of art and history, and it is a constant destination for tourists and esthetes. However, it is mainly during the festive season that Piazza Navona attracts thousands of visitors to the market held there from December , which has turned into a tradition of the Eternal City. Kids stroll around the stands, trying to find toys or candies to make Christmas happier and merrier. According to the tradition, parents buy toys that the kids will find in colored, embroidered stockings in the night between January 5th and 6th, on the occasion of the “Befana” celebration; she is an old lady who, according to the Italian traditions, rides a broom and enters all houses, to leave gifts for the good children and coal for
Piazza Navona is one of the most beautiful and fascinating places in the center of Rome. Its current aspect is a consequence of the patronage from one of the most well-known patrician families, the Pamphilis. Through it, they wanted to celebrate their nobility, which had been overshadowed by the political and social rise of their
