All Little Girls are Princesses

As many of you know, yesterday here in Italy we celebrated International Women's Day. And nothing makes me happier than to introduce you to an incredible woman, one of my best friends here in Italy, an amazingly talented artist who was featured yesterday in the inauguration of an art show at none other than Castel Sant'Angelo.

My pal, Eleonora, who is also one of my two "witnesses" for my wedding (in Italy we don't have bridesmaids, so luckily they won't be subjected to horrors like this), is a freelance art director, graphic designer, and artist. One of her most recent projects was art directing and producing all the materials for a show at Castel Sant'Angelo called Baltico/Mediterraneo, which had art from Italian and Finlandian artists. You can see her poster at the castle entrance (she didn't create the artwork but created the graphic "look" of the show):

But the show that was inaugurated yesterday, named by Ele and featuring one of her works, is called "Curve della Mente": Curves of the Mind, or Mind Curves. It's a show with all-women artists, from photography, to painting, to graphic art like Ele's composition. Which, like a proud mom, I made her pose next to:

It reads "All little girls are princesses," and was inspired from a photo of herself from when she was a little princess. The eyes and lips are from the actual photo, and the rest was designed on the computer. Bravissima, Ele... complimenti!

The rest of the art show was interesting as well, but I have to be honest: the castle stole my attention. Every time I visit, it takes my breath away for the beautiful views.

Then, later that evening, in fine Women's Day tradition, I hosted a dinner at my house for six of my closest Italian girlfriends. A Mexican dinner, no less! With Ale unceremoniously kicked out of the house for the evening, over Coronas and tacos, we had lots of good girl talk. At one point the topic of my blog came up, and I started asking them if they had ever seen the hot priests calendar on the Roman newsstands. Almost none of them had! See what happens when you don't have my sick curiosity? Because they didn't believe me, I whipped out the laptop... and lookie lookie, here they are, everyone choosing their favorite..."June is mine! What's March DOING? OOOH, look at October!" A proper trip to the confessional is in order.

Viva le donne!

Buon Martedì Grasso!

That would be Happy Mardi Gras for all you non-Italian but pseudo-French speakers...

Carnevale is about to end, that celebration of excess before the 40 days of Lent. Here in Rome you may see little children parading around in costumes and blowing noisemaker horns in the days and even weeks leading up to today. It's the closest approximation to Halloween that I've seen here, and I think it's so funny because it's completely random. It's just a regular day in Feburary and suddenly you see a parent holding their kid's hand, and the kid is dressed up as a little witch or goblin or something. It's cute. Less cute in my opinion is the multi-colored paper confetti that the kids throw all over the ground, and I'm talking in mass quantities, not a "light dusting," which must be supremely irritating for the street sweepers yet extremely gratifying if you usually aren't allowed to litter. And, as Italian as it may sound, confetti isn't called confetti here in Italy. Actually, confetti are the white Jordan almonds you get at a wedding, which I will chat with you about in post coming to a blog near you soon (as yours truly is still planning to get married next month), but confetti confetti is called coriandoli (cor-ee-AHN-doh-lee).

Of course, Venice is the real hot spot for Carnevale revelers. I've never been, just like I've never been to New Orleans for Mardi Gras, but one of these days it might be fun to see what it's like. Another good place to check out Carnevale festivities and a famous parade of floats is in Viareggio. The float parade continues even after the 20th (there is another parade on the 25th).

Personally, my favorite part of Carnevale is seen in the photo at the beginning of this post. Frappe. MMMM. Strips of dough fried up light and crispy and then sprinkled with powdered sugar. It's like getting fresh fruit in season: you can only get frappe around Carnevale time, then they disappear from the bakeries until next year.

Have you ever done anything to celebrate Carnevale?

Bewitched

Holiday lights hanging over a street near Campo de' Fiori

Happy New Year! I hope you all had a great holiday season. Sono tornata—I’m back—and I’m looking forward to bringing you a year of pulling back the curtains to peek behind the scenes here in the Eternal City.

Kicking off 2007 is a holiday with a uniquely Roman twist: the Epiphany, more commonly known here as “La Befana.” The Epiphany is a Christian holiday based on the story of the Three Wise Men who brought gifts to the baby Jesus. Prior to Christianity, pagan Rome celebrated a festival after the winter solstice in honor of Strenia, Roman goddess of the new year. Once Christianity was born, the pagan tradition was carried on but adapted.

This is when Befana comes in, a modified version of the word epiphany in Italian. The legend as I know it says that the Three Wise Men got lost in their travels to find the baby Jesus, and saw a house with smoke coming out of the chimney, so they stopped to ask for directions. An old woman who was sort of a happy housekeeping witch called Befana answered the door and gave the men directions. Shortly after they left, however, she realized that she had given them the wrong directions and went out trying to catch up to them. She ends up wandering the world in search of the Three Wise Men, and along the way she gives children toys in stockings, or coal if they had been bad during the previous year. Here in Italy the tradition continues with children getting stockings on the morning of the 6th, filled with candy (including rock candy for coal) and toys. Befana comes through the chimney the night of the 5th (but she has her broom to sweep up after herself), and apparently some households even leave her a nice glass of wine and some regional specialty to munch on. Don’t you love this Italian upgrade from milk and cookies?

Martha at about.com’s Italy for Visitors site has a nice summary of the Befana tradition here and you can check out the Wikipedia version here.

The Befana tradition is known throughout Italy, but the original and biggest of the Befana street fairs is still held in Rome each year on January 6 in Piazza Navona, about a 10-minute stroll from my apartments. It was originally held in front of the Pantheon, but in 1870, when Rome became the capital and the city’s population expanded rapidly, it was moved to its current home in Piazza Navona. The fair takes place in the evenings beginning December 1st, but it really hits its peak on the day of the Epiphany, the last night of the fair.

The crowds are crazy, with lots of bumping into other people and traffic jams where you don’t move at all. But I managed to brave this year’s party and get some shots to kick off our new year. Let's try to walk, shall we?

Viva La Befana! When you see 'W' it means Viva.

This little boy was fascinated by Befane that would light up and move when you clapped, as the seller (on the right) was doing continuously. All together now: "Clap on! Clap off!"

Keep an eye on your belongings: it gets pretty crazy out there!

Befana: she's everywhere! Stockings, sacks for candy, and flying Befane.

Do you think Giacomo della Porta, one of the designers of St. Peter's Basilica and in 1575 this fountain as well, could ever have imagined what his famous Fontana del Moro would witness in 2007?

This Befana doesn't look exactly like she'd clean up after herself. I think this one is definitely leaving only carbone behind.

One last shot just for you foodies out there. These are called ciambelle, and are basically just what they look like: humongous donuts. Homer Simpson would be in paradiso for sure. And hey, Finny, you can get Nutella on them too!

Crib Street

Let one thing be said for Italy at Christmastime: these people love their nativity scenes. So much so that I would go as far as to say that a nativity scene, known in Italian as presepe and sometimes by the French word crèche, is more common than a Christmas tree in many Italian homes.

The scene can be as simple as a little manger, to very elaborate, with moving figures, lights, mini-waterfalls—the works.

Something you’ll notice if you see a presepe in a home before Christmas is that the baby Jesus isn’t actually in the nativity scene—he makes his appearance in correspondence with his birth, ie, Christmas Eve. Placing the baby Jesus in his crib is a task usually entrusted to a child in the house and is a big event!

Probably nowhere is more famous for this tradition than Naples, where every year you can wander Via San Gregorio Armeno and be transported to a world of nativity scenes and all the fixin’s you’d ever need to make the most elaborate presepe you can dream up (hence "Crib Street") . On my recent day trip, we wandered onto this street purely by accident, and I discovered that it’s next to impossible to come out on the other end empty-handed. We bought a birthday present for a friend of ours who collects pieces (only from Naples though—he’s a “presepe snob”) for his presepe, which is quite impressive and gets more so every year. I also couldn’t resist parting with €4 to buy a kit for playing Naples bingo, with wooden markers and illustrated cards. Naples has a fascinating tradition that revolves around symbols and their associated numbers (which can then be used to play the lottery), which I would like to take up in a future post.

Something I think is also interesting to point out is that the presepe doesn't necessarily have to have a religious theme. Some presepi can simply represent country scenes or village scenes. I'm not sure if the baby Jesus is actually obligatory in these types of Italian presepe...does anyone know?

Well, as Dick Callaway, mayor of St. Albans, West Virginia, said: "It's not easy to put a light-up representation of a baby in a small manger scene, you know."

So for now let’s just wander down Via Gregorio Armeno and the surrounding area and see what we can come up with.

It's a pretty crowded street—keep an eye on your belongings!

There's a Bambino Gesù for every style and every budget

The lady seated on the left is freelancing it with a stall just off of Crib Street

The foundation for the presepe can be quite detailed—notice the lights inside

A fun part of the tradition is adding on new pieces each year—the possibilities are endless

Of course it wouldn't be Naples without a little of that Neapolitan ingenuity. Every year some of the most memorable moments of the year are transformed into presepe figurines. Remember this one? Something to do with a sister?

If you want to read more about presepi, here's an article from About.com. My pal Avery, another americana a Roma, also wrote about her take on this Italian tradition here.

I probably won't be able to get around to writing a post this year about the living nativity scene at St. Peters. But here's an article about this year's tree, the tallest ever. And here is some more information about where to see presepi in Italy.

Do any of you set up a presepe for Christmas? I don't have one but I'd like to start one day when we have children. I think it must be a fun tradition for them and for families to do together.

What are your Christmas, or holiday season, traditions?

Photo Hunt: Lights

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This week's theme is Lights.

Yesterday I was walking down Via Arenula and noticed that they were putting up these holiday snowflake lights. In my 5 years here I don't recall them ever installing lights on this main street from Trastevere to Largo Argentina (near the Pantheon) and it makes the city feel a little more festive. Of course, I would have loved to have been able to go around a neighborhood searching for the perfect "Chevy Chase/Christmas Vacation" house, but here in Rome we all live in apartments so the best you'll get is perhaps a string of lights around a window. Better than nothing, I guess. But I still miss the neighborhood competitions I used to see back in the States, and driving around to look at all the houses.

Il Giorno di Ringraziamento

Today I am thankful for:

1. Beloved family, friends, and pets
2. Struggles overcome
3. Opportunities taken
4. Courage, and faith
5. Open hearts and open minds

This year I want to take more time out to recognize the things I am thankful for. I don't do this enough and Thanksgiving Day is a start!

Hope you have a wonderful day and stop to take a moment to think of a few of the blessings in your life as well.

Haunted Halloween in Rome

Dolcetto o scherzetto?! This is what the Italian kids say on Halloween, and it roughly translates to treat or trick, even though trick or treating is something I’ve never seen over here. What I have seen is little kids getting dressed up in costumes and walking around. Which I guess is better than nothing, but still can’t compare to my childhood wandering my neighborhood filling my bag with pounds and pounds of candy. There was always the “good” house, where we’d get full-size candy bars, and the “bad” house, where, every year without fail, we’d get a balloon and a religious bookmark. There was the “scary” house, where the older male teens of the house set up a slaughter scene on the front walkway, and the “old people” houses with their lights out, the ones we hated the most. No matter what we got, we didn’t miss a door, and I remember at my house, when we’d run out of candy, my parents would break out our big penny bank and start putting pennies in the kids’ bags. What can I say, folks? Clearly, I miss Halloween.

But, never fear. A few years ago, sensing that my university study abroad students were feeling about the same, I decided that it was time to bring a little BOO to Rome. So I set forth, determined to come up with a Halloween itinerary of Rome. Here for you now is the result of my work. I haven’t been to all of the places, but I can guarantee that number one is genuinely spook-worthy, and number six is definitely worth a visit. Read on, if you dare…

1. Bone Crypt of the Cappuchin Monks (Cripta dei Cappuccini)
Santa Maria della Concezione Church
Via Veneto 27 (off Piazza Barberini)
Hours: 9-12; 15-18; closed Thursday

Why they're playing "Ave Maria" on their website is beyond me, because this place will give you the creeps. The bones of 4,000 Cappucin friars (for whom cappuccino is named) decorate the four chapels of the Capuchin Crypt, and the fact that it's in the church basement doesn't help. Room after room of arrangements of bones: skulls, pelvic bones, bone chandeliers, you name it. There's even a phrase saying something creepy like, "We were once like you were, soon you'll be like us..." Yikes.

2. Museum of the Souls of Purgatory (Museo Anime del Purgatorio)
S. Cuore del Suffragio Church, Lungotevere Prati 12

Rome has just one truly Gothic church, but this one is inspired by the Gothic style, and that makes it stand out. It was built in 1890, or 1927, depending on who you ask. I've never visited this museum, but apparently it showcases various objects that demostrate proof of souls who went to Purgatory, trying to communicate with us here on Earth. All are hung on the left wall of the display room. Enter the church and walk down the right aisle; just before the end, enter a door to your right and ask to see “il museo.”

3. Rome Crime Museum (Museo Criminologico di Roma)
Via del Gonfalone 29
T, W, F, Sa: 9:30-1; T, TH: 2:30-6:30, 2 EUR

The museum is divided into three sections, with computers creating a virtual Crime Museum alongside the real one. Section One, called “Punishment and Crimes,” is apparently the goriest and most gruesome. It seems like it could be one of those touristy torture museums, except for the fact that their website is run by the Italian Justice Ministry. Can't get more authentic than that--they know how criminals used to be handled!

4. The Devil’s Footprint (Il Piede del Diavolo)
Santa Maria all’Ara Coeli
Piazza Campidoglio

This church is famous for the miracles performed by the Santo Bambino, but the little-known dark side legend is that there is an imprint from the diavolo himself. Keep your eyes open looking at the floor just after you enter, on the left.

5. Exorcism and Witch HuntingSanta Maria del Popolo Church
Piazza del Popolo

Legend says that this church was built on haunted ground in ancient Rome, where witches used to practice rituals and call spirits. Inside the church, above the main altar, you can see reliefs that show the story of how the ‘popolo’ of Rome (hence the name of the church) asked for action against the witches, and the process of their execution.

6.Catacombs: the ancient tombs of Rome
The Catacombs of St. Sebastian
(Catacombe di S. Sebastiano)
Via Appia Antica 136; 8:30 - 12 - 14:30 - 17:00

This is where it is believed that the remains of Saints Peter and Paul were temporarily housed. This underground cemetery has examples of both Christian and Pagan graves. Visits are with guided tours only (times above). The tour is available in English, takes about a half hour, and costs €5.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!