What to see in Rome on Christmas time
Some tips about Christmas trees, Christmas lights and the most beautiful Nativity scenes that from 8th December 2014 to 6th January 2015 will decorate Rome.
Christmas is on the corner and as usual Rome is dressing up for the occasion.
The Eternal City—the seat of the Roman Catholic Church, is the perfect city to visit during this particular period of the year.Maybe, not anyone knows that the first Christmas mass was said in Santa Maria Maggiore, and the bells ringing at midnight, signify exactly the start of Christmas.
The Christmas tree of Piazza Venezia and the Christmas lights of Via del Corso, represent the tradition of the decorations city for the Christmas period. But this year the Christmas decorations will adorn also other areas and the suburbs on the initiative of the Capitol, in collaboration with traders association, who will finance the decorations.
You can admire the Christmas lights especially in the central streets of Roman shopping: like via dei Condotti, via di Ripetta, via dell’Orso, via dei Gigli d’Oro, via di Torre Argentina. In Campo de´ Fiori area the lights will be set in via dei Banchi Nuovi, via di Santo Spirito, via dei Banchi Vecchi, via del Pellegrino. In the Monti neighborhood instead you can see it in via del Boschetto, via Leonina, via dei Serpenti, via Panisperna, via degli Zingari and via Cavour. Going to the suburbs, pedestrian area of Pigneto, via Ludovico Pavoni in Tor Pignattara and piazza De Cupis in Tor Sapienza area, will be also illuminated.
For Christmas trees we strongly recommend a tour to the Colosseum, where the tree is absolutely stunning and imposing; right in the middle of Piazza Venezia you can admire the tree and also the nativity scene made by lights. In St. Peter’s Square you can find the most visited Christmas tree, we suggest to go there during Christmas night, when the Pope celebrates the Mass.
In conclusion, we want to talk about a charming Christmas italian, the Presepe, or Nativity scene. Praesepe literally means “manger” and represents a commemorative depiction of Jesus’ birth. You can find some of them around the city: St. Peter’s Square, Navona Square and in Sale del Bramante that hosts “100 nativity cribs”, a show with over than 180 Nativity scenes from all over the world.
