Buon Natale!

Buon Natale! Merry Christmas!

Wishing all of you a very happy holiday season. 

Karen and Mike

Countdown to Christmas - Italian Style! December 21

photo courtesy justagirlblog.com


Welcome back. We're at Day 21 (ventuno)

All of my countdown posts have been of things that, to me,  say Christmas is coming here in Venice. Today I have another food tradition for you, one that is particularly Northern Italian, and very much a custom in Venice.  Mostarda.

Mostarda, an Italian fruit and mustard condiment, typically served with boiled meats,  consists of fruits preserved in a syrup mixed with either powdered mustard seed or mustard essence. The one shown above  is in the window of one of my favorite shops,  Drogheria Mascari, a wonderful old grocery  located on Calle degli Spezieri in the San Polo district, very close to the Rialto bridge. 

photo courtesy www.imascari.com

When you see the mostarda bowls in the window of Drogheria Mascari, you know it's the beginning of the Christmas holiday season. 

Mostarda can also be purchased in jars in local grocery stores, or you can prepare it yourself at home.

Here's  a link to a typical Mostarda recipe, in case you are tempted to try for yourself.


http://italianfood.about.com/od/saucescondiments/ss/aa121305.htm

                                                             Buon Natale!

Countdown to Christmas- Italian Style! December 16

                                                                       photo courtesy megzimbeck.com

Can you believe it ? We're  already at Day 16 (seidici)!

Typically in Italy, the Christmas decorations are put up on December 8, which is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. The presepe, holiday lights, Babbo Natale's and Christmas trees get set up in homes, shops and town centers. At our house, even though we had every intention of getting the tree up on December 8, it just didn't happen. Today, thankfully, the tree is up. In celebration of that, today on the Countdown I'm blogging about l'Albero di Natale or the Christmas tree.

Every year in Venice, a large tree is set up in St. Mark's square, and lights are turned on the evening of December 8.  Here's a photo of this year's tree.

St. Mark's is a magical place on a normal day. At Christmas time with thousands of twinkly lights lit not only on the tree but under the three colonnades that surround the square, it is particularly breathtaking.

I remember our first Christmas in Venice. We wondered what in the world people did for Christmas trees. We couldn't imagine where we could go to find a real tree, or better yet, carrying that tree back to an apartment in Venice. There certainly was no place to go cut down a tree. We ended up buying a fake tree in a box, then  carted that big box home on a handcart on the vaporetto, up and over a few bridges and into the apartment. That was the first fake tree I'd ever had in my life. I wasn't happy, but it was the most expedient solution.

You CAN get a real tree in Venice!  They aren't large, but they are real. Many come with the roots in pots even.  Just before December 8, you'll see a vendor set up shop near Ca D'Oro on the Strada Nuova in Cannaregio.  There's another vendor near the mercatino on the Lido, which is in the photo below.

You can see how small most of these trees are. On the bright side- they are real trees!

I even saw trees in the grocery store, for 11.99 Euros each, and have seen people putting these into the grocery trolley and wheeling them home.  It almost makes me want to buy one. Almost.  Then I start thinking about all that hauling and change my mind. I also think about what I'd have to do when it was time to take the tree down and get it out of the apartment. I'm sticking with the large, fake tree. (see below!)

Buon Natale !

Countdown to Christmas- Italian Style! December 14

photo courtesy cupcakeswithsprinkles.blogspot.com


Day 14 (quattordici)!!!

I love the Advent calendar I selected for today. Which has been your favorite calendar so far?  And which has been your favorite Countdown blog?  I have my own personal choices, but I would love to hear yours! Please leave your comments for me. I can't wait to read them.

I'm sharing holiday lights at the Rialto with you today. These are one of my very favorite things about December in Venice. I think we anticipate the days when we see the lights have been strung  in the calles (little streets) between St. Marks and  the Rialto bridge, and on the bridge. It's an absolutely spectacular sight.

The Rialto bridge lit with holiday lights make this very special place even more special. 

At the middle of the bridge you'll find the winged lion, symbol of Venice, in lights. 

Auguri is the Italian word for Best Wishes.  It's used for occasions when you want to congratulate someone, such as after the birth of a baby, or a birthday or graduation.  It is also used during Christmas and New Years.  This particular sign is above a shop in Campo San Bartolomeo, near the bottom of the Rialto bridge.

As you can tell from these photos, Venice is definitely getting ready for the holidays.  Are you?

Buon Natale!

Countdown to Christmas - Italian Style - December 13

                                             photo courtesy www.thebrisbanekids.com.au


Welcome back to Countdown to Chirstmas-Italian Style Day 13 (tredici).

I'm excited about sharing today's treat with you, as it's a family tradition in my family we've been keeping since as long as I can remember.  My mother always made Christmas cookies, starting around now, the middle of December. We always made the same cookies each year too. She'd make struffoli, a honey drenched little fritter sprinkled with powdered sugar or sprinkles. This is traditionally a holiday treat originating from Naples.

                               
                                                                  photo courtesy food network.com

Here's a link to Mario Batali's recipe for struffoli http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/mario-batali/honey-drenched-christmas-fritters-struffoli-recipe.html

Another traditional cookie made in my family is my grandmother's sugar cookies with cutouts.  I loved using the same cutouts every year- the old Santa, the reindeer, the tree, and the angel cutout.  Every year we'd leave a plate of these cookies out for Santa Claus on Christmas eve, along with a large glass of milk.

 

                                                                          photo courtesy Betty Crocker.com

Here's a link to a sugar cookie recipe that is almost identical to the one my grandmother always used.
http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/easy-holiday-cutouts/8d58ef9e-0426-43d5-8d36-df247a3bed8b

When I got married and had my own children, I kept up the tradition of making Christmas cookies every holiday season with my girls.  We made my Grandmother's sugar cookie cutouts, thumbprint cookies filled with raspberry and apricot jam, oatmeal cookies and chocolate chip cookies.  I had a collection of favorite cutout shapes we kept for year.

This is a photo of my daughter Shannon at about 3 years old, up to her elbows in cookie dough and flour, working hard making cutouts for Christmas that year. 

Since I've moved to Italy, I still make holiday cookies.  This year I'll be making my old standards- my grandmother's sugar cookies, thumbprint cookies with raspberry and apricot jam, chocolate chip cookies, and shortbread cookies. I've found a new Italian cookie recipe I'm going to add to my collection this year, too. 

Anise Italian Christmas cookie , photo courtesy www.Tasty-italian-cooking.com

I'm including the recipe here (click on the link below) in case you want to give them a try yourself.

http://www.tasty-italian-cooking.com/italian-christmas-cookies.html

Do you have family cookie traditions too? What are some of your favorites?  I'd love for you to share your favorite recipes too. 

Buon Natale!

P.S. Thank you so much for all the positive comments and email messages in recent days. I'm so happy everyone is enjoying my Advent Calendar series. Keep reading, please. We have a few more days in our countdown before we reach December 25!

Countdown to Christmas - Italian Style! December 12

                                 photo courtesy www.thedishmadison.com


We've made it to Day 12 (dodici)!!!!  We're half way to Christmas already!

I must admit, I'm jumping the gun a tiny little bit with my choice for today. I intended to wait until closer to New Year's Eve with this one, seeing as it is a New Year's Eve Italian tradition- but...
as soon as I saw a vendor at the mercatino the other day with an enormous bin of red underwear for sale, I could not resist.

All over Italy, everyone wears red underwear (mutande) on New Year's Eve (notte di San Silvestro or vigilia di capodanno) for good luck.  There is no rule that it has to be new red underwear, but just in case you needed some, shops start advertising and selling red underwear early in December. Thus, the bin of red mutande!  Everyone, and I mean everyone, believes in the red underwear tradition. Babies, toddlers, moms, dads, even the 95 year olds will all be sporting red underwear.  You can't take any chances when good luck is involved, so you might just as well give it all you've got.

I had to rummage around in this bin for a while. I just could not help myself. Every size and shape underwear you can imagine was in that bin. Everything from itty-bitty thongs to big granny pants. And people were buying.

It wasn't just this industrious vendor over at the local mercatino getting ready for New Year's Eve, either. I passed several high end shops in the San Marco district displaying beautiful red lingerie in their windows.

There doesn't seem to be any requirement that you be Italian to do the wearing of the red underwear for good luck. So, I'm sharing the tradition with all of you. Why not tuck a little bit of red into  the Christmas stockings of all your family members this year?  Who is with me on this? 

Buon Natale!

Countdown to Christmas- Italian Style! December 11

photo courtesy churchm.ag


I'm just going to begin this post for Day 11 (undici) with a photo:

Yes, this is ALL chocolate!  Every year the chocolatier creates a spectacular window display handmade, completely of chocolate. I make a point of passing by this shop each day early in December so I am sure to see the window as soon as it is ready. I think this year is over the top. Fantastic. 

Here are some close up details- chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate.

How yummy is this?

It's a chocolate fantasy! 

Any time of the year, not just Christmas, VizioVirtù is on my top ten list of places to seek out in Venice. It one of the best chocolate shops I've ever been in, and, being the chocolate lover I am, that includes a lot of chocolate shops! The second you open the door, you are in sensory overload. The smells hit your nose first. You are practically hypnotized by the smells as they draw you inside the door.  Then you look around, overwhelmed by the variety of chocolate surrounding you. This is the mother load of chocolate in Venice, and the young chocolatier behind the counter is probably Willie Wonka's cousin. 

Located at San Polo 2898/A, just steps away from both the San Toma Vaporetto stop and the Church of Santa Maria Gloriosa di Frari (the Frari), it's easy to find, and almost impossible to leave once you've been inside. 

Put it on your list if you are planning a visit to Venice. Just do it. Indulge!

Here's a link to their website, which includes directions as well as online shopping. Yes, I did say online shopping!

http://www.viziovirtu.com/

Countdown to Christmas - Italian Style! December 9

                                                photo courtesy www.skiptomylou.com

Welcome back to Karen's Countdown to Christmas - Italian style!  It's Day number 9 (nove).

Do any of you have advent calendars you use every year?  Do any of you buy the ones made out of cardboard that have a chocolate candy behind each door?  I particularly loved the one I'm featuring on today's post. This suits my style, and I really like that each day is an ornament to be hung on the tree. Something like this might just make an appearance in our house next Christmas.

Today I've chosen to write about something that has become very meaningful to Venetians who live in the city, something that in recent years has become a harbinger of the holiday season.

An ice-skating rink (about 400 sq. meeters) is constructed in the middle of Campo San Polo It's the perfect location in the city, central to everyone. This year, the skating rink opened on December 6, and will remain open until February 17, including the entire Carnevale season.

                  
This is the poster that is hanging in almost every vaporetto stop around the city, announcing not only the ice rink in Campo San Polo, but also the one in the center of Mestre.

I stopped in the campo yesterday and was gratified to see so many families and children enjoying themselves on a beautiful, sunny winter afternoon.  In a city that doesn't offer any winter sporting activities, ice-skating is a novelty that is quite irresistable. For the few short weeks the rink is in operation, it's a very popular spot.

Just look at these smiling faces! You know they are having a blast out there on the ice.

I came across a video of the grand opening of the rink in 2011.  That year the center of the rink had a spectacular "sculpture" in the center that was lit up each night, and my favorite local musical group Ska-J performed live that night. In the last few years, we haven't had anything quite so memorable, and no light sculpture either!

Video courtesy Venezia Marketing

If you are in Venice over the holiday season, I hope you will take time to enjoy yourself in Campo San Polo.  I've included a link for more information.

List of Hours and Prices for ice rink at Campo San Polo

Buon Natale!

Countdown to Christmas -Italian style! December 8

photo courtesy anglokids.wordpress.com

I've been having lots of fun searching for interesting Advent calendars to feature here, and am enjoying reading the many emails and comments I've been receiving from all you readers.  I have to admit  I really wanted to make the one I chose for today.

December 8th is one of the most important days of the month for Catholics around the world. It's the Feast day of the Immaculate Conception, and it's so important here in Italy it is a national holiday. That's right. Many shops and businesses here in Venice were closed today.  In addition to it being a holiday, it is also traditionally the day on which Italian families put up their Christmas trees, holiday decorations and  get their presepes (nativity scene) all set up.

So... are we all set to see what Day 8 (otto) has stashed behind the door?

Christmas decorations! Decorazioni di natale!  I went in search of a few new ornaments for our tree (which we did not  get up today, but soon!).  In Venice, obvious decorations are made of Murano glass. After a few hours walking, here are my favorites. I won't tell you which one came home with me, I'll let that be a surprise. Maybe you'll be able to spot it on my tree. Which one would you have chosen?

Yes, Babbo Natale in glass!

And Babbo Natale in a gondola. When in Venice.....

More on a gondola. But each one is slightly different, I loved them all.

This window display had a veritable army of teeny tiny Babbos.

A glass Christmas tree. 

Frosty!

Have you decided on your favorite? 

Buon Natale!