This Christmas has been a bit different! Rather than the usual Rome or back home in England, I have spent it tucked away in a medieval village about an hour from Rome. I hadn’t known what to expect but it has been quite magical. There are Christmas lights literally everywhere, plus two trees and a large angel made out of fairy-lights. The great thing about a small place like this is that you constantly bump into people you know, exchanging Christmas greetings and good cheer (mulled wine).
There are many of the ‘Living Nativities’ (in Italian: Presepe Vivente) in various other towns throughout Italy as well as here, taking place between 26th December and 6th January, generally starting from around 5pm so that you get the full effect of all the candles and costumed participants.
The origin of the Living Nativity is better explained here: St. Francis in Greccio
Did I mention….wherever there is a Medieval “borgo” there’s often a Medieval castle? Well, there is one here….and I have a great view of it from my window. It is also one of the castles in which Gulia (La Bella) Farnese stayed.
p.s. at the beginning of January, just to make it look like Narnia, it snowed heavily for a couple of hours but most had cleared by morning.
Lazio Escapes 