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Christmas in Italy

We are all used to our own Christmas traditions, on a good year they flow like clockwork in the hustle and bustle leading up to Christmas.  However, these traditions can be enriched with those from another culture, to make it very special for you and your family.  Here are some ideas to consider:

Nativity Scenes

Including a Nativity Scene in your family Christmas is a great tradition and a popular one in Italy.  In fact in Italy, months of preparation go in the the many lovingly constructed Nativity scenes.  They ornament piazze (town squares), porticos and even train stations all over Italy.  Some are intricate and beautiful; others are of dubious artistic quality!  Some are old and others are avant-garde.  Whether they are tiny enough to fit into a chestnut shell or big enough for St Peter's Square in Rome, each one is a unique window into the imagination of its creator.

This year we were very privileged to have a complete 'presepe' set provided by two of our customers, Franco and Gloria Travaglia, for display in our shop.  To do it justice we would have needed to devote a much larger space than we had, but we've so enjoyed hosting this scene this year.

If you would like to create a new family tradition, we can help with some of the genuine Italian 'presepe' pieces we brought back from Naples.

Italian Fruit Cake

A fruit cake has been a family tradition for our family for generations, but in Italy of course, things are taken to a whole other level!

Italian Christmas fruitcake is based on bread ('pane').  There's 'Toni's' bread (panettone), golden bread (pandoro), strong bread (panforte) and sweet bread (pandolce).

Our family tradition for many years has been to always have a panettone at Christmas.  Whilst like with most things in Italy there are regional differences, panettone is an Italy-wide tradition at Christmas time.  According to legend, panettone was invented by accident by a baker named Toni.  Toni, had fallen in love with Lucia, who came every morning from a nearby village with fresh eggs.  Toni decided to woo Lucia by baking 'a cake to impress' for her. He combined her fresh eggs with the sweetest butter and jewel like candied fruits.  But Toni was nervous and shaking when he added the yeast and he poured the whole packet into the mixture.  He kept going and fortunately for him, his 'mistake' was a winner and the panettone, light and rich rose in the oven to golden perfection.  And so it was that panettone was invented!

Make your own Italian Christmas cake this year!  Recipes for all these fabulous Italian Christmas treats are on our website on the page 'Italian Christmas Recipes'.

Vigilia, A Roman Christmas Eve Feast!

If you really want to go native Italian, then why not try this one!  Some Romans go to church on Christmas Eve and observe a fast for a huge feast later that night, called 'The Vigil'. The featured dish is not roast lamb, or turkey or chicken, but..... the Christmas EEL!

Shopping for eels used to be a dress-up social event in Rome, which traditionally began on the evening of 23rd of December.  After hitting the Christmas parties, fashion conscious Romans in their full regalia would stroll through the fish market in search of the centrepiece of their 'Vigilia'.  Today, Romans no longer shop in ball gowns, but they seek out the best deal on eel.  The best ones are big, female, and ideally 'ALIVE'.

More Italian Christmas Traditions

There is SO much more that is different about Christmas in Italy, including the fact that in many places, gifts are exchanged on Epiphany, 6th January, not Christmas day, the Festa della Befana.  This video also is a great account of other things that are a part of Italian life at Christmas time.

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Dream of Italy Christmas Special!

To celebrate Christmas this year with you, our customers we have an offer we have never made before.

Until December 15th, with every purchase over $100 we will provide you with a FREE 150mm x 200mm (6" x 8") photo block of any of the Dream of Italy Photo Art photos of your choice.

Select any image from our wide range of 'Photo Art' and receive a beautiful image mounted on a photo block absolutely FREE (usual price $39.50).  The photo blocks are white and have a felt backing and can be either shelf or wall mounted.  This would make a fabulous gift to recall some great times in Italy!

Just included in the Photo Art selection are a new set of Photos from Naples and Sicily.

Choose any photo for your free gift when placing your order and add the SKU number in the notes field when you checkout online.  Any orders placed in our shop will be shipped in 2 - 3 days.

Last Minute Gift Ideas

Don't forget that our a beautiful piece of Murano Glass Jewellery will be greatly appreciated by that lady in your life and for him, one of Todd Niall's books (see the article below) could be just the thing.

Our hand painted Italian ceramics are proving popular gifts this year and a Venetian mask as a wall hanging is a high impact ornament for any home.

Don't forget that we offer FREE GIFT wrapping.  Just specify if you would like this with your online order.

Our shipping deadlines for receiving your item before Christmas are Wednesday 19th December for all NZ based orders.

For some people, the link to Italy is architecture, language, music or food. For me it’s cars. Two cars, one of them obvious, and one of them about as unlikely as it gets. At the age of 18 I bought my first car, a Ferrari-red Bambina. And, to cut a long story short, I’ve just marked my 36th anniversary with it. The Bambina is one of the great character cars of all time. Fantastic to drive, it corners like a Porsche – there’s the sunroof, and the double-declutching down through the non-synchromesh gearbox. The frugal fuel consumption - Ah the days of the $5 fill-up. Not to mention the charming minimalism. That got me through my first couple of decades. The 500’s place in Italian culture captured me in only the past decade or so. In 2003 during a trip to Europe I managed to divert to Garlenda in Savona, for the annual gathering organised by the Fiat 500 Club Italia. It was like a pilgrimage, nearly 1,000 cars from all over Europe  descended on this small town, in a valley in from the Mediterannean coast. It was there I first understood the passion which Italians had for the car. It’s role in the country’s post-war development, and they way it found it’s way into the hearts of a society like no other car ever will.

to read the full article!

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December Italian Recipe

This month's recipe comes from one of our readers, Janine Di Luca.  Janine says "We love to receive your newsletter.  My husband is Italian and we live in Nelson.  We had a restaurant in Birkenhead, Auckland for 6½ years and a restaurant in Thames for 3½ years.  We now sell fresh pasta at two great markets in Nelson.  I also make Italian sweet treats, cannoli, biscotti, panforte etc.."

Mozzarella in Carrozza

Ingredients:

White bread, eggs, salt and pepper, sliced ham (optional), maggi green herb stock, grated mozzarella (or sliced).

Recipe:

Beat eggs, add salt and pepper and a sprinkling of green herb stock.  Heat a bit of oil in a frying pan.  Dip bread in the egg mixture and add it to the frying pan.  Add the mozzarella cheese, ham and the other piece of bread.  Cook in the frying pan until brown on both sides and the mozzarella cheese is melted.

Delicious served with a green salad.  If you serve this with a salad, two pieces of bread per person is usually the right quantity.

Editors note:  The literal translation of this recipe is 'Mozzarella in a Carriage'!                

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We would love to hear back from you and get your thoughts on our products or services!

 

If you have any feedback at all for us you can send an email to alan@dreamofitaly.co.nz.

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