Archive for 'Events'

Adding to our last post on Rome at Christmas, which covered when sights, stores and restaurants will be open over the festive season, this article will discuss the special events taking place in that great city over the holidays. The holiday season in Italy begins on the 8th of December and continues through to the 6th of January so, even if you aren't going to be in the city on Christmas itself, you'll still be able to enjoy the lights and festive atmosphere. If you are spending a couple weeks or more in Rome, however, you'll get to enjoy the full festive experience. Just find yourself a holiday rental in Rome and start jotting down your ideas for all the things you want to see and do this Christmas!

Most are probably familiar with Nativity scenes and may have even been part of school productions of the Nativity or put them up in their homes each Christmas. This is a way of commemorating and re-enacting the birth of Jesus by staging and arranging the figures from the event outside a manger. The ones in homes are usually in miniature but churches often have life-size versions. Some even stage outdoor “live” Nativity scenes with real animals and people acting as the figures from the story. This tradition is said to have been created in Italy and, as a result, there are many live Nativities all over the country which are rather famous. One of the most famous, arguably is the one at Greccio in Lazio which is said to be the very first. To visit this charming event for yourself, just find a vacation rental in Lazio.

We've already discussed how live Nativities came about and the original one in Italy but there are many others worth mentioning. One of these is that at Canosa di Puglia, in Puglia, which is often regarded as the most beautiful one in all of Italy. The perfect outing for anyone spending Christmas in this part of Italy, you need to stop by once you've found the right luxury villa in Puglia, and live through the experience of the Nativity. Few other places in the world will you find it done quite so well and it is a rather important part of local tradition, even if it hasn't actually been taking place for that long, especially compared to the live Nativities of other parts of the country.

In our last article, we introduced you to the incredibly beautiful Padernello Castle in Brescia, Lombardy. Stunning to behold, set in the charming little village of Padernello and with a rich history and abundant legends such as that of the Dama Bianca, it's a site that is steeped in Italian culture and tradition. However, it is not some outdated relic of the past but, rather, has become an important part of local contemporary life through educational programs with local schools, public events, exhibitions and by hosting a popular farmer's market. We have already covered the past but the castle's present also merits discussion, in particular, the culture of engaging the public with art and food in the castle.

The Triennale di Milano is a cutting-edge centre for contemporary art, architecture and design. It constantly houses exciting temporary exhibitions and has displayed retrospective exhibitions on major artists like Keith Haring and Roy Lichtenstein and designer brands like Giorgio Armani and Louis Vuitton in the past. The Triennale is housed in a building which was built by Giovanni Muzio in 1923 and is located at the edge of the Parco Sempione in Milan. The name, “Triennale”, means “every three years” and the building's original purpose was to host the international exhibition on decorative arts, industrial arts and modern architecture, held every 3 years in Milan.