Rome at Christmas Time

---

Well, it's now the Christmas season. I must say, Rome isn't quite what I expected during Christmas. I guess they still see this as an actual Christian holiday, celebrating the birth of Jesus. They still focus on family, friends, and being thankful for all the good things in life, even though some things here are very difficult. Hmm, where did they ever get the idea that this is what Christmas is all about? Haha.

Only the tourists and expats all seem to be focused on lights, decorations and shopping. Here, the official Christmas season doesn't start until December 8th. December 8th is a national holiday here that celebrates the Immaculate Conception of Mary. On that day, the Christmas Market in Piazza Navona officially opens and people begin to decorate. But, other than at the mall, I haven't really seen the Christmas spirit. Some shops have a few decorations and yesterday they put up a tree in our apartment lobby. But all of this really only started this week. It's not really what it's like in the US where we start decorating and putting out Christmas supplies after Halloween.

Here in Italy everyone says, Buon Natale or Auguri. It's nice to actually say Merry Christmas to people. Nobody here is offended by "Merry Christmas" as some people in America seem to be. And here in Italy, the signs actually say, "Merry Christmas" and not "Merry X-mas". Some people seem to still remember the true meaning of Christmas.

The decorations and trees that I've seen here in Rome have been very nice though, and it's nice to see. I love being here in Italy, but I do miss home a bit during this season. It's warm here, about 55-61 degrees everyday. That just seems odd to me during Christmas. But, there have only been about 3 days since mid-November where we did not get any rain...today is one of those days. Now that I'm leaving Rome to head back to America for the holidays, there is no more rain forecasted here in Rome. I guess that's just my luck. Oh well.

On December 8th, we all went downtown to enjoy the ONE sunny day in Rome this month, and also to see the Christmas decorations. Bonus for us, we also saw the Pope! Il Papa himself rolling down none other than Via Condotti in his popemobile, lined with Fendi, Prada, Gucci, Furla, and all the others. Never did I think I'd only be five feet away from the Pope. It was definitely a great experience that I will always remember.

What else has been going on? Well, we're all trying to stay dry and avoid the flooding and the overflowing Tiber River. During the summer (when we went 3 months with no rain) the river was really low. Last Thursday we received more rain in one day than the normal amount for all of December. The city came to a standstill. Rescues by police and firefighters were needed for people who were stranded in buildings and cars. One person died because they were trapped in their flooded car. Boats were stuck under the bridges that cross the Tiber, and people were evacuated from areas of Trastevere and the Jewish Ghetto areas of the city because the river threatened their homes and businesses. There was a state of emergency called for and people were urged to stay at home. All of this because of the crazy rain. In the past two weeks I've experienced some of the worst thunderstorms I've ever seen. Yes, thunderstorms in December. It's crazy, right? These weren't short storms either. The thunder lasted for over two hours. Surprisingly, we didn't lose any electricity.

I hope everyone is doing well and enjoying this holiday season so far. Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and a Happy and Healthy New Year to everyone!

Enjoy the pictures and video of Rome at Christmas Time and also the overflowing river.

---

Photos

The Vatican Christmas Tree
With all the money that the Vatican has, I think they could afford a better tree. Note for 2009: get a tree that doesn't resemble a Charlie Brown tree. They also need to employ a better translator. We found a sign pointing out the direction to the "Sixtine Chapel".

AngloAmerican Christmas Party
Alison, Suzanne, Jenny, me and Heather at our work holiday party.

The Tiber Fills Up
The walkways along the "normal" banks of the river are completely covered.

The Tiber Fills Up
Tiber Island is almost covered

The Tiber Fills Up
The house boats are normally connected to docks along the walkways at the banks of the river. Now, it's completely covered and the boats are drifting down the river and getting stuck under the bridges.

Comments

[Anthony]

It's Monday, and I'm the Pope!!