Happy Advent. Or as we say in Italy, “Felice Avvento.” Deacon Dom and I are wishing you and yours a peaceful period of prayer, reflection, and joyful anticipation as we await the coming of the Savior of the world. We are spending the next two weeks, before heading back to the United States, here in central Italy, learning more about how Italians mark this important liturgical season of Advent.
Deacon Dom was proud to serve at Mass for the first Sunday of Advent, and light the Advent candle at our precious San Silvestro parish located in our little village in the Umbrian countryside. While back in America the secular world has been pushing Christmas in stores since July, and on the airwaves since Halloween, in Italy we’re just starting to see and hear seasonal signs of the holidays.
One special way Italians mark these beautiful days of early December is with wonderful Mercanti di Natale (Christmas markets) all over the country. These gatherings offer homemade crafts, detailed decorations, and of course delicious treats such as vino Brulé, Italy’s version of a mulled wine, roasted chestnuts, and since we’re close to Perugia, one of the chocolate capitals of Italy, plenty of chocolate candy. Many of these special events take place in medieval villages. Their streets are filled with decorative wooden booths that resemble chalets. The scenes are so festive you feel as if you’re on a movie set.
Most importantly, these markets keep Christ in Advent and Christmas, as the presepi, or nativities, are everywhere. The vendors offer detailed versions, with each telling a different story of Christmas in Italy. The mangers are much more elaborate, often designed as colorful houses, and feature slices of busy Italian life with everything from the old-fashioned butchers, bakers, and yes, candlestick and shoemakers. Thanks to St. Francis of Assisi, who established the first live nativity in the central Italian town of Greccio in 1224, after returning from the Holy Land, the presepi are a major part of the celebrations and often feature backdrops that reflect the region of Italy. For example, a presepe from Umbria, often features a statue of St. Francis adoring the Christ child.
That’s why we began our Italian Advent journey in Greccio this weekend. Greccio’s Mercanto di Natale is now in full swing and anyone who attends should also buy a ticket for the Nativity Museum where you will find countless presepi from all over Italy and the world. We also discovered another precious town, Castel Rigone, near the border of Tuscany. As you can see from the photos accompanying this blog, this borgo is truly out of a story book complete with a casa or house for Babbo Natale (the Italian name for Santa), his sleigh, and his own marching band of musical elves from nearby Foligno. Other locations on our upcoming itinerary include Gubbio, Assisi, and Lake Trasimeno.
