No matter what we do over the holidays, we know we are blessed. We made it here; we live in a postcard; have made new and dear friends; we’ve waded through most of the Italian paperwork (for now), we and the pups are healthy and happy.

Christmas here in Italy is not only about decorations, baking, shopping, gift giving and the like, but mostly about CHRIST in Christmas. You can visit live nativity scenes, whether created as whole towns on hillsides or within the piazza in your local comune. Families assemble elaborate nativity scenes inside and outside their homes – ‘presepi’, and I mean, very elaborate and intricate!

Christmas Eve (La Vigilia di Natale), we got to experience the live Nativity in Atri, with the characters making a lovely procession through the medieval alleyways of town. Two bagpipers, clothed in black hats and capes, let the procession. The bagpipes played are very Italian, and the shepherds that play these instruments are the Zampognari. As the procession wove through the old town, blacksmiths hammered away and a monk-like character ladled out hot mulled wine to outreaching hands. 😉 The many beautiful churches of Atri were open for worship throughout the evening and night.

 

Christmas morning rose beautiful and by the time I got rolling, it was about 55+ degrees. Romeo and I set out to hike out of our valley to a spot where we could either gaze to the mountains or the sea. I stopped for a few moments on our trek to listen and I heard absolutely nothing…..just the stillness. No human-made sound and even the birds were quiet. Just utter silence. It was breathtaking in the fact that I hadn’t experienced that for a very long time. Even hiking in Nelson County, Virginia,  we would hear the jets making their long journeys over the mountains that were in their flight paths. So Romeo and I continued on to our spot and just relaxed in the silence gazing over the Adriatic. It was a time to remember Christ in Christmas.

Christmas evening was a much anticipated event – dinner with Luigi and his family. We were so looking forward to being with our new friends as well as tasting the delights of a tipico abruzzese Italian Christmas meal. The food was plentiful, of course, and delicious, of course. Laughter, cross talking, loud talking, jabs right and left all in good fun made for wonderful memories of the evening. And I was transported back in time and place when my family in New Jersey would meet for holidays and weekends to share such a blessed time together. Here are a few shots from the evening. I’ll leave you with them and a Buon Natale e Felice Anno Nuovo.