December in Rome
Christmas Trees and Holiday Lights in the Eternal City
I’ve just come back from doing all the (holiday edition) Saturday shopping in my neighborhood in Rome and my bags are filled with fresh tortellini to make in brodo on Christmas Day, a pandoro as back up for the panettone because you never know - it usually disappears in about a second - and kilos of clementines and pomegranates to keep Vitamin C levels up as we plunge into a sugary holiday. The whole outing was set to the sound of holiday greetings: auguri, buone feste, buon natale … it’s a beautiful call and response that I like to believe keeps everyone grounded and not overly stressed as we wait in line at the counter for our produce, cheese, fresh pasta and quant’altro.
How do you serve your tortellini, in brodo o asciutti? was the pressing question of the day.
I’m actually not a Christmas person but Rome’s Christmas tree this year won me over and I had to go see it person. It’s full and golden and looks decidedly spectacular at Piazza del Popolo. It inspired me to go tree hunting across the city throughout the week, indulging in an aperitivo now and then because ’tis the season, and also the red velvet seats at Rosati are very festive. Rome is looking sparkly and I even joined the crowds on Via del Corso to walk under the golden holiday lights.
The highlight of the month so far has been chasing starlings on Winter Solstice at the Fori Imperiali as the sun set over Rome. A murmuration of starlings is the most elegant and mesmerizing sight; watching them I felt their pull, as if they were inviting me to dance across the Roman sky all the way to that edge where darkness flips to light in a moment.
December is possibly my favorite time to be in Rome.
Wishing you a wonderful holiday season!
A presto,
Michelle
in case you missed it:
Coffee in Rome
*press play below to listen to my December audio postcard from one of Rome’s ubiquitous coffee bars. It includes church bells! How do you take your coffee? Further caffeinated musings: Another regular Saturday morning in Rome, surrounded by the sounds of a
That pic of the starlings is heartbreakingly beautiful. Missing Roma but so appreciate your wonderful post!
Merry Christmas, Michelle 🎄💕✨️