Christmas markets, pageants, fairs throughout Italy

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Here are a few special markets and events occurring throughout Italy during the Christmas-Epiphany season:

Verona The Rassegna del Presepe (Nativity Scene Exhibition), held in the picturesque Roman Arena from early December to early February, features a wide selection of antique and modern crêche figures from around the world, such as the Polish one pictured here.
Bolzano Christkindlmarkt is a very unusual Christmas fair for Italy, because you might find more Christmas tree ornaments than nativity scene figurines; also wooden dolls, dried flower compositions, delicious Germanic sweets and a local tradition: crowns made of fir branches interwoven with ribbons and four candles. Light one each Sunday for the four weeks of Advent.
Bressanone Weihnachtsmarkt, another Alpine Christmas fair, is held Dec. 2-Jan. 8 at the cathedral. Vin brûlé is distributed to one and all after the concerts and mass. You'll see more American-style decorations on the houses here.
Merano Most of the Old Town is transformed into an outdoor Christmas market from Dec. 3-Jan. 7.
Milan La Fiera di Sant'Ambrogio, the city's most important antiques fair, takes place in Piazza Sant'Ambrogio and adjoining streets from Dec. 7-22. Opening of the season at La Scala Opera House.
Naples The entire street of Via San Gregorio Armeno is taken over by artisans selling presepi scenes and figurines. A giant presepio in Galleria Umberto I depicts incredibly lifelike scenes from Neapolitan life. The cloister of Santa Chiara and Certosa di San Martino have permanent nativity scenes. Teatro San Carlo season begins: older than La Scala, it has perfect acoustics and flamboyant neoclassical and rococo decorations.
Capri Local folklore groups perform in the Piazzetta on January 1 and 6; also in Piazza Diaz in Anacapri.

• Palermo
  Il Festival delle Marionette takes place during December in the fascinating Museo Internazionale delle Marionette, featuring puppets and marionettes from all over the world. Via Butera 1, Palermo (tel. 091-328-060). Open Mon-Wed-Fri 9-1 and 4-7; Tues-Thurs-Sat 9-1.

• Erice
  The Rassegna Mediterranea degli Strumenti Popolari (Mediterranean Folk Music Festival) is held in this lovely art town late in December. Musicians come from all over the world with their bagpipes, tambourines, flutes, Jew's-harps, lutes and other instruments, filling the beautiful old streets with their melodies.

• Christmas Nativity Scenes, just about everywhere
  Depictions of Christ's birth date back almost as far as the Catacombs, but it was St. Francis who created the first actual replica of the scene by placing an ox and a donkey next to a manger near the hermitage he built in Greccio, not too far from Assisi. For someone whose only aim was to be a humble and withdrawn servant of Christ, it is ironic that just about everything Francis of Assisi did was destined to become world-renowned, and the presepio is no exception. You will now find them all over Italy, some being incredibly elaborate. The Neapolitans took the nativity scene to the summit of extravagance, and many of the oldest families have one entire room where priceless figurines have been guarding the babe non-stop for 250 years, behind doors that are thrown open only two months a year. Click here for more information about the nativity scene at Greccio.
  

  

• Living Nativity Scenes throughout Italy
  If you want more than porcelain figurines, these human recreations are the ticket for you. They are staged everywhere on December 23 or 24, but perhaps one of the nicest is in the little mountain town of Barga, in northwestern Tuscany. At 7:30pm on December 23, about 200 costumed participants congregate behind Joseph and Mary at the city gates. They then wander through the streets requesting shelter of the artisans, who also wear colorful costumes as they ply their trades in several dozen tiny workshops. Everybody winds up in the piazza just in time to see a comet star lead the Wise Men to the Baby Jesus' manger.
  

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