How To Create A New Year's Mood In Italy
Holiday magic. With all the problems of our daily life, we often miss the most important thing: the feeling of celebration, the atmosphere of feast, of the new year. What was it like in our childhood?
Have you also noticed that in the rush of consumerism, we have lost something significant — the feeling that the magic day will soon arrive? Do you remember those photos from your childhood where you look at Santa Claus with those wide-open eyes, holding that little bag with two chocolates and a small tangerine inside it in your little hands? Confess that deep inside your heart you still believe in that miracle, the magic that should come.
What can we do if we want to recreate that marvelous feeling of a New year?
Where to find information
My recipe for relaxation is to change the place. I don't know why, but I've noticed for years that I can't relax in the same place where I live. For this reason, I always prefer to move. This year brainstorming was easy enough: there was advertising in the regional newsletters about Christmas markets.
Here are the regional websites for Northern Italy. If you plan to visit a region, you can subscribe to a newsletter to know what events and places you can visit.
https://www.lovevda.it/it
https://www.in-lombardia.it/
https://www.visitpiemonte.com/
There are interesting installations in all Italian towns and villages. Some of them are curious or beautiful. In this period, there are many Christmas nativity scenes. By the way, do you know the Italians believe that visiting Christmas nativity scenes brings good luck?
Train Tickets
To create a Christmas mood, I decided to make the best of the offer of State Railways “Italy in Tour” which allows you to visit for three days what you want with regional trains. So, I visited Aosta, Milan, and Bergamo. (Italy in Tour= €29. Normal train tickets Ivrea-Aosta=€4.50×2=€9; second-day Biella-Milan €10×2=20; third-day Biella-Milan €20 + other train company, Trenord, Milan-Bergamo €6×2=12; saving is euros: 9+20+20 normal ticket =€49; “Italy in tour” offer €29. As you see, I saved €20 with this promotion this time).
Information about the Trenitalia offers https://www.trenitalia.com/it.html
What you need more to have a good free day is reliable weather forecasts. Must-to-do is always controlling if the weather is good enough
Aosta
This town is relatively far from my, Biella, and I visit it not more than 1–2 times a year. There are many places of interest here, but I’ve just been everywhere except the local archaeological museum. Since the town is small, I required not more than one hour to visit the Christmas market. So, I decided to visit the archaeological museum this time.
Regional Archaeological Museum (MAR) has an exhibition that tries to make you imagine what life was like in the Roman and prehistoric periods. There is also a handprint of a Roman man on a brick. A more unique than rare find.
The Christmas market was not as big as I expected, but you can find their precious natural high mountain products. And I say precious because they are very good. I am a fan of natural foods, you know.
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Milan
Milan is different. Coming out from the central station, you are directly in the modern city of skyscrapers. It’s possible to take a Metro, but I wanted to walk to the Duomo (cathedral) because I expected to see New Year decorations. In truth, I found many Christmas trees set up by important luxury product houses because in the city there was a “Christmas of the Trees” event. It was a very beautiful city, you know.
The city was much cleaner than the last time I visited it years ago. I was very happy about this too.
I was fortunate: there were not many people and I could finally visit the inside part of the cathedral. There are 4 or 5 parts to visit there (the cathedral, the crypt of S. Carlo Borromeo, archaeological excavations, and the terraces), and you have to pay separately for every part. I did not know about it and visited only the internal part and excavations. I’ve just seen the terraces before. They are curious to visit, too.
https://ticket.duomomilano.it/
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Bergamo
The last stop on my “tour” was Bergamo. It was the first time I was there and I loved it.
The Christmas market was near the railway station. In the era of globalization when all shops, and synthetic products are the same everywhere, it is a pleasure to find something special, made by local people, natural farmer's food.
I went up to the upper city and was breathless. Firstly, of course, the Basilica of S. Maria Maggiore. This church is adorned with tapestries. Particularly beautiful are wood inlays of rare, excellent quality (1750). I have only seen something similar in Naples in the Certosa of S. Martino.
I wanted to mention the second oldest in Italy Town Hall (1180) and the very curious Cappella Colleoni, but the email is just too long. If it’s interesting, I’ll write about every town next time.
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