** Venice for the Holidays: What's Happening This Christmas and New Year's in Venice (Free Italy Travel Advice)**
This
is an excerpt from the December/January issue of
Dream of Italy:
By Nan McElroy, Living
Venice Blog
The holidays have arrived in Venice. How do we know? Because just
before we all succumb to the effects of days that darken before five in
the afternoon, the city comes to the rescue, draping the calli
(passageways) with strands and strands of tiny white lights. The result
is instant cheer, and changes scurrying about in the cold from a
drudgery to a delight.
Another sign is the appearance of the annual market in Campo Santo Stefano,
Natale
in Laguna, celebrating its
10th anniversary and open daily through December 23rd from 10:30 a.m.
to 7:30 p.m. You'll find thirty wooden chalet-booths featuring a wide
variety of handmade, artisan gifts, including glass, pottery, jewelry,
soaps and perfumes, picture frames, along with mouth-watering
gastronomic and gourmet offerings from throughout the country. Other
mercatini appear all around the city, at San Bartolomeo
just off the
Rialto
and up the Strada Nova,
just to name a few.
Looking for other holiday sights and sounds? The island of Murano hosts
the glittering festival Natale
di Vetro, or Christmas of Glass,
featuring "a constellation of events for getting to know Murano."
There's a variety of outdoor sculptures, exhibitions and presentations.
If you're In Venice for Christmas Eve, the Midnight Mass at the Basilica di San Marco
is be an unforgettable experience. The warm ambience of glistening
mosaics creates a one-of-a-kind atmosphere for the holy mass. The
service begins at 10:30 p.m., but do arrive earlier, as it's heavily
attended. Enter at the north entrance off the Piazzetta, and dress
warmly: the Basilica can be drafty on a winter's eve.
For eating out around the holidays, be sure to reserve ahead. Anyone
who is visiting will be seeking to eat at many of the same locales, and
recommended eateries will be in demand. There will be very few
privately owned places open on Christmas and New Year's Day, however,
as owners will spend the holiday with family. For eating out, you'll
likely be choosing between a reliable hotel restaurant such as the
Monaco or the Met, or opting for Chinese, pizza, or perhaps the
Cafè Florian on the piazza...at least to enjoy a cioccolato caldo
(hot chocolate).
If you'd like to make it a musical holiday, consider attending the
Concerto
di Capodanno, the New Year's
Eve concert offered by the Teatro
La Fenice, offered on December 30th at 8 p.m., the 31st at 4 p.m., and
on New Year's Day at 11:15 a.m. The concert will be conducted by
Georges Prêtre, and feature some of the best-known arias from
a variety of composers, Italian and otherwise, perfect for ringing in
the New Year. For information on the Fenice concerts, call HelloVenezia
at (39) 041 2424 or visit www.hellovenezia.com
There are other musical offerings for both Christmas and New Year's.
From violins to Vivaldi to opera highlights, these concerts are all
held in opulent palaces: there is even one that includes a buffet
dinner held at the Scuola Giovanni
Evangelista, another is a
formal
dinner and gala at the Palazzo Barbarigo-Minotto.
To book these
concerts, stop by the Vivaldi Store just off Campo San Bartolomeo
on
the San Marco side of the Rialto Bridge, or use an online booking
service such as www.classictic.com
Of course, thousands will be celebrating New Year's Eve in Piazza San
Marco - if you decide to join
them, be sure to bundle up, and remember:
no glass bottles permitted in the square.
No matter what activity you choose - even if it's simply wandering the
city - you'll always savor the special atmosphere that reigns in Venice
throughout the holidays. Buone feste!
--
Nan McElroy
Venice resident Nan McElroy is the author of Italy,
Instructions for Use
and blogs at www.livingveniceblog.com
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