My dear friend Martha who lives in the tiny Tuscan village of Stia writes:
After this year's brilliant gold and red autumn, we are finally getting to winter here in the Tuscan hills. With the warm, rainy days turning crisp and frosty, we can feel Christmas in the air. But the surest sign of the coming holiday aren't the twinkling white lights of the star of Bethlehem with its long comet tail that top the street lamps, or even the pine boughs tied with gold ribbon decorating our village. And no, it's not even the inflatable climbing Santas seen clinging to the sides of houses here.
Way before any of that, it's the arrival of the panettone in the stores and on TV. The markets are exploding with towering pyramids of this delicious Christmas treat. The TV is clogged with panettone commercials. This marvelous Christmas cake from Milano is a buttery spongy, dolce (sweet) studded with candied fruit and raisins.
Y
ou can spend a little or a lot (we buy the cheapies and they're wonderful), but either way, it's soooo delicious! So, if you see one in its traditional pyramid shaped box or round tin, pick it up and bring it home. Make some coffee or pour a glass of milk, cut an immodest slice, and dunk away. It's Christmas, after all. (My family loves it toasted for breakfast, too. Paula)
This year there's an evening market in Stia on the three weekends preceding the big day. So, on a Saturday or Sunday night the merchants stay open and you can shop (or window shop) and also look through the handmade items that are on display in the piazza. This year you'll find decorative decoupage roof tiles, leather goods, ceramics, candles, picture frames, and gorgeous Christmas ornaments all fatto a mano (made by hand). After a leisurely browse or bout of shopping, you can stop by one of the booths for a vin brule (mulled wine) and hot roasted chestnuts and--best of all--people watch.
While all of this goes on in the village, Piero decorates our tiny house with the amazing Nativity set he made last year. The stable is covered with bark and moss from our woods, and he made farm tools around the manger out of matchsticks. My favorite is the broom with the rosemary bristles.He's especially pleased that he figured out how to make the campfire glow this year and with the special paper he found that, when scrunched up just right, really does look like the mountains outside Bethlehem.
A gospel group from the States will be visiting next week and I'm certainly not going to miss that! The little community music schools will have programs for children and adults, and of course, there's Midnight Mass for those who can stay up that late. It's not likely that you'd overlook of the events in town, for they are posted in the windows of the bakery, the hardware store, and every cafe.
I'm looking forward to the Presepe Vivente, a live tableau of the Nativity scene in the centro storico (historic center) of town. And to top off the festivities this year, there's a New Year's Eve concert in the Piazza Pitti in Florence. I've heard that the orchestra will be playing Strauss. This sounds like a wonderful way to say arrivederci to 2006 and benvenuto to 2007. Buon Natale a tutti!
Thanks, Martha, and tanti auguri a te!
