Published on Friday, November 8, 2019 by Kathy McCabe I’m Steve Perillo of Perillo Tours. I'm thrilled to host a video series called Steve's Travel Tips to share all the insider Italy travel tips I have learned over a lifetime of travel to Italy. In this video,  I'm talking about Christmas in Italy, traveling to Italy for Christmas, Italian holiday traditions and more. If you want to get into the Italian Christmas ...

Published on Wednesday, December 5, 2018 by Kathy McCabe Nothing says Christmas in Italy quite like a pile of struffoli on an Italian table. The marble-sized dough balls are deep-fried to a golden hue, coated in honey and tiny hard sprinkles. While the traditional recipe calls for deep-frying the balls, some modern recipes call for spreading the struffoli on a cookie sheet and baking them in the oven. The origins of ...

Published on Tuesday, November 22, 2016 by Kathy McCabe Gubbio, in the region of Umbria, is home to the world's largest Christmas tree. The tree of lights is 650 meters (or 2,130 feet) tall and takes 1,900 man hours to assemble on the side of Gubbio's Mount Ignacio. It was named the world's largest Christmas tree in 1991 by the Guinness Book of World Records. The tree tradition started in 1981 and in 2011, Pope Benedic...

Published on Tuesday, December 23, 2014 by Kathy McCabe The Italy Mix is a weekly post about the most interesting Italy and Italy travel news and human interest stories around the Web. Here are our top picks for this week: Traditional Christmas Dishes: Each Italian region has a favorite Christmas food, from seafood to soups to pasta. Tour the regions and learn about Christmas foods. (The Huffington Post) Buy Olive Oi...

Published on Thursday, September 4, 2014 by Steve A Very Special Invitation to Spend Christmas in Italy... And Not Just for the $1000 Savings Per Couple Thanks to our faithful clients and travel agents, this has been a banner year to Italy! That’s why our hotel partners in Venice, Florence and Rome are asking, “What about this coming Christmas 2014? Why isn’t our Marco Polo Tour on December 18 to 27 sold out...

Published on Tuesday, December 10, 2013 by Kathy McCabe The Italy Mix is a post about the most interesting Italy and Italy travel news and human interest stories around the Web each week. Here are our top picks for this week: Guide to Christmas in Rome: The ultimate guide to Christmas and New Year's in the Eternal City. (Revealed Rome) Italian Processions Honored by UNESCO: Ceremonies in Viterbo (Lazio), Sassari (Sa...

Published on Friday, December 6, 2013 by Kathy McCabe Milan is stunning during the Christmas season. Check out these photos of Milan's Duomo and holiday lights. Photos by Italy Chronicles and  abnormalbeauty, flickr.com...

Published on Tuesday, December 3, 2013 by Kathy McCabe The most popular Christmas dessert in Italy is panettone, a tall cake made from flour, sugar, milk, eggs, fruit and raisins. You will see these for sale in every food shop in Italy throughout the holiday season. One type of panettone you won't find everywhere is a gold-and-diamond version commissioned by a Russian businessman. Pastry chef Dario Hartvig, owner of th...

Published on Monday, December 10, 2012 by Steve Christmas – it’s the  most magical time of year – and is  even more magical when you spend it in Italy. Christmas – or natale in Italian – still retains a very traditional feel in Italy. It hasn’t been tainted by too much commercialism. Christmas markets spring up in piazzas. The holiday market in Rome’s Piazza Navona is one of the most noteworthy...

Published on Sunday, November 20, 2011 by Kathy McCabe I'm just back from a few weeks in Italy where I saw the first signs of the holidays with Christmas trees in shop windows and a few presepi on display. A presepio is a creche or Nativity scene and  handmade versions by Italian artisans are an integral part of Italian Christmas celebrations.  If you will be in Italy during the holiday season, here are a few places to ...