Milan is the home of worldly pleasures; the shopping, opera houses and nightlife draw you in to its culture. The historical and modern points of interest can b...
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Random Proverbs
Chi non risica non rosica He who doesn't risk, doesn't eat
Santa Lucia was a rich, young Christian girl who was martyred in 304 A.D. She chose to die rather than be married to a pagan, who then had her tortured and murdered. She died on the longest night of the year, December 13th, and is the patron saint of those who are blind and suffer with eye problems. In fact, her name means "light".
There are several versions of St. Lucia's story and she is celebrated in other countries as well as Sicily.
One legend has it that during the great Sicilian famine of 1582, a large group went to the church to pray to 'Santa Lucia' for an end to the famine. While they prayed, a ship came into the Syracuse (Siracusa, Sicily) harbor filled with wheat and they were saved. They were so famished that they did not process the wheat into flour. Instead, they boiled the unprocessed wheat berries, and called it Cuccia or Cuccidata.
In Italy, a few towns, especially Siracusa Sicily, will have a big celebration.
Below is Rosanna Spallino performing at the Santa Lucia celebration at the Italian Club in Ybor City, December 2009.
Here are some of the famous Christmas markets in Italy that bustle with holiday cheer:
Florence Mercato di Natale For all the procrastinators and last-minute types, this market begins on December 23, Piazza Santissima Annunziata and lasts until Epiphany on January 6.
Milan Famous antiques fair, “oh bej oh bej” - La Fiera di Sant’Ambrogio, fills the streets from December 8 to 22.
Naples Go to Via San Gregorio Armeno where artisans sell presepi (nativity scenes) and figurines.
Perugia Go to Via del Circo, in the Centro Storico (historic town center) for the Mercatino delle Strenne (literally, Little Market of Presents) from December 4 to 24.
Rome The famous Piazza Navona turns into a Mercato di Natalte, where you can buy toys, sweets and holiday decorations December 8 through January 6 (Epiphany).
I just want to wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving (or Buona Festa del Ringraziamento in Italian). In actuality, it is not a holiday that is celebrated in Italy. Too bad, because it is probably my favorite holiday in that we all take time out to give thanks, count our blessings, and nothing else. Especially this year in light of the economic turmoil, unemployment, the war overseas, etc. No crowded malls to fight (yet), nothing to do but eat a good turkey and spend time with family and friends.
Let your credit card company know your travel plans
If you are planning a trip to Italy, or any country for that matter, it is important to call your credit card company prior to your departure to let them know of your travel plans.
That way, if you use your credit card overseas, the transaction will go through. If not, the credit card company may not process the transaction, or may try to get your authorization.
The credit cards widely used in Italy are Visa, Mastercard, and American Express (in that order). Discover is not widely used, and thus you can pretty much leave that one at home.
If you are in Italy, please don't forget to change your clocks, as the time changed (Daylight Saving Time Ended) earlier today (1AM) for all of the European Union. Fall back 1 hour.
In the United States and Canada, the time will change on November 7th, 2AM.
Therefore, Italy is now 5 hours ahead of New York time, and 8 hours ahead of L.A. for this week only.
