Italy Shines with its Tables Filled with delicious things to eat and drink. During your visit you will enjoy the traditional and popular Christmas dishes of Italy. Mulled wine and hot chocolate anyone? It goes perfectly with Caggionetti – deep fried sweet dumplings stuffed with chestnuts and chocolate, orange zest and rum. On one evening we will recreate the Italian Christmas Eve tradition of the Feast of the Seven Fishes (La Vigilia), served to symbolise the anticipation of the birth of Jesus. This lavish dinner will feature delicious seafood dishes. Each dish has a symbolic significance and can include dishes such as: * Spaghetti with clams * Lasagna * Salted Cod * Calamari * Tartines * Fish Salad * Seafood Stew Of course, if you don’t eat fish or seafood, meat dishes can be made available. On Christmas Day, be prepared for a day of feasting. During the day, the culinary offerings will include cheese boards, charcuterie and antipasti. Italian Christmas lunch includes roasted meats, pasta, grilled vegetables and Christmas cakes. An Italian Christmas would not be complete without Panettone and Pandoro. Just the aroma of the freshly baked sweet bread loaves alone will have your mouth watering. Filled with nuts and candied fruits which symbolize the fertility of the new year that is coming.

La Befana : On the night of January 5th, this historic character brings gifts to children. She is often portrayed as a witch and fills the sacks left for her with small gifts and sweets. Be entranced and delighted by the goodies that La Befana brings for you during your stay, but only if you have been good during the year! Be careful, she may leave a lump of coal if you haven’t been good. Churches and Mass : Italian churches are beautiful both inside and out. During your stay we will visit a couple of local churches. If you wish to attend a religious service, this can be arranged. For those visiting on December 24, Italians celebrate Christmas Eve with a Midnight Mass. There are usually fireworks at midnight adding a glorious display of light and color to the landscape. Carolling : Dress in your warm clothes and spend an hour or so of an evening, singing carols to the neighbours. If you prefer not to sing, come along and join in the festivities.

Crafts : Christmas crafting is an activity that many people enjoy. Various craft activities will be on offer, such as making cards and decorations. A craft instructor will help you create some beautiful momentos and memories. In a lovely tradition, on Christmas Day, Italian children present wrapped letter of love to their parents. The parents then read them aloud at the table. At A Week in Italy, you can make your own letters to take home to whoever you love. Decorating Christmas cookies (biscuits) : The smell of these baking treats is enticing, and turning them into works of art is fun. Spend some time bringing out your creativity on these treats that you can eat later. The spirit of giving : One favourite activity is to decorate a ginger bread house with sweets. Guests can enjoy both eating these creations afterwards or donating them to a local children’s charity. Speaking of the charity, you will have the opportunity to wrap up some gifts and be part of the delivery of these presents to the same charity. This heartwarming activity will reflect that the season is also about giving.

Christmas Train : The 1930s treno della neve (snow train) will take you up into the mountains to various villages and Christmas markets. This day long round trip journey departs and arrives back in Sulmona, the town is famous for its confetti (sugar coated almonds and hazelnuts). Snow : Abruzzo is home to numerous ski resorts in the mountains and National Parks. We will visit the slopes where you can choose your activity, either skiing, snowboarding, ice skating or just enjoying the views. This is the only place in Italy that you can be in the snow and see the sea. Ocean : Tortoreto Lido is the perfect place to enjoy a seafood meal right beside the Adriatic Sea.

The Via dei Presepi (road of the cribs) and the San Gregorio Armeno (the Christmas Alley) are two stops in the town where the margherita pizza was invented. Filled with artisan workshops year round, Christmas time is extra special here. With hundreds of nativity scenes (Presepe) visitors can also find special and unique figurines to build their own presepe. These elaborate scenes are much more than your average manger. Naples is also the home of the Pulcinella figurines. This puppet character is depicted wearing a loose white outfit and black mask. A little horn (corno) in the shape of a red chili is also a symbol of Naples. It is said that it will bring good luck, and ward away the Evil Eye, which makes it a perfect souvenir of your Italian stay.