Archive for 'December'

Turin is one of the most fascinating and beautiful cities in all of the north of Italy. It is absolutely full of immense, grand, classicising buildings, open squares, arcaded walkways, greenery and a wide range of attractions and sights.

Whenever you visit, you are sure to enjoy its beauty and find plenty to see and do, but if you find a vacation rental in Piedmont and decide to visit the city over the holiday season, you are sure to fall immediately in love.

Turin is particularly stunning during Christmastime and this is largely down to the incredible Christmas lights that you will find there. They are no normal Christmas lights but, rather, something altogether more unique and interesting.

Luci d’Artista is an outdoor exhibit of Contemporary art that reinvents the streets and piazzas of Turin by illuminating them with striking light installations. It takes place from late October into January of each year and sees pieces contributed by internationally famous artists.

So, you're considering leaving all the stress and chaos of the holidays at home this year and going on Roman holiday instead. Once you have found the perfect vacation rental in Rome, you might be wondering what is on offer in that great city over Christmas. You might even be worrying that there will be nothing to see and do, that this very Catholic area might shut down completely over the festive period but, never fear, there is plenty going on! While you plan your Christmas in Rome, read through our festive guide to the city and get ready for a fun, memorable and utterly stress-free holiday this year. In part one of this guide, we're going to discuss when the sights, shops and restaurants are open.

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.