Dine on pork and lentils and wear red underwear for a prosperous 2023
Why not spend the New Year in Rome, Italy's beautiful capital city? |
In Rome, if
you treat yourself to a hotel near the Colosseum or the Villa Borghese you will
find plenty of free activities to enjoy.
If you choose
to stay in elegant Milan, head to Piazza Duomo to see in the New Year, as it is
traditional to gather in front of the beautiful cathedral.
In Naples, you
will be able to watch fireworks displays from the sea front. It is worth
staying near Piazza del Plebiscito, the main square of the city, where they have
live music and processions to enjoy.
If you go to Turin,
head to Piazza San Carlo to experience the musical celebrations and see the fireworks
let off from the banks of the River Po.
Residents and
visitors traditionally gather in Piazza San Marco in Venice to see in the New
Year. Fireworks are let off from Riva degli Schiavoni after midnight, which
light up the lagoon in spectacular style.
Firework displays are a major part of New Year celebrations all over Italy |
It is not a
public holiday, but it is always a festive occasion with special dinner menus offered
by the restaurants.
Popular dishes
include cotechino (Italian sausage), zampone (stuffed pig’s trotter) and
lenticchie (lentils).
Pork is said
to represent the fullness or richness of life, while lentils are supposed to
symbolise wealth or money. Many Italians believe the coming year will bring
prosperity if these foods are eaten on New Year’s Eve.
It is also
believed wearing red underwear will fend off negativity and help people find happiness
and love in the coming year.
The President
of the Republic delivers an end of year message from the Quirinale in
In some parts
of Italy, you may witness the custom of throwing old possessions out of the
window at midnight believed to symbolise readiness to accept the New Year.
Cotechino e lenticchie - sausage and lentils - is a popular dish on the New Year's Eve menu |
Some of
San Silvestro
in Capite, the Basilica of Saint Sylvester, is in Piazza San Silvestro on the
corner of Via del Gambero and Via delle Mercede, on the opposite side of the
Tiber from St Peter’s. Dating from the eighth century, it was bestowed on
English Catholics by Pope Leo XIII in 1890. It is now known as ‘The National Church
in Rome of Great Britain’ and mass is regularly celebrated in English there.
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