If you are planning a holiday in Sicily, villas are a great accommodation choice to consider. If you are looking to visit at a more alternative time of the year in order to avoid the throng of tourists and the heat of the sun, visit in December and experience a true Sicilian Christmas! In Sicily, villas are offered to rent by reputable companies and you will have the pick of the bunch during this quieter season.
Christmas Celebrations
The celebrations and fun and games begin on the island early in December, when families begin to decorate their homes ready for the festivities. The addition of a Christmas tree was not commonplace until after the Second World War when allied forces introduced the custom, but today families will often choose to have one.
Perhaps a more common decorative feature, however, is the nativity scene that was reportedly the innovation of St Francis of Assisi. Italy is a deeply religious country and while this nativity tradition is popular throughout the country, it is Naples and Sicily that really show it off. These miniature scenes are found in the majority of homes and churches, and one of the most fascinating on the island is the Presepe Vivente in Custonaci, where deep in the gigantic Mangiapane cave is a little hamlet, which was actually inhabited until sixty years ago. Today, home to the Presepe, it is the perfect place for locals to dress-up and re-enact the Nativity, which they do every day from the 25th December to the Epiphany.
If you are staying in Sicily, villas close to Isnello and Collesano in the Madonie Mountains will allow you to experience the Luminari on Christmas Eve – when huge bonfires are lit to keep baby Jesus warm.
Christmas Dinner
For your Christmas dinner, why not do as the locals do? Feasting at Christmas is a gargantuan affair and heavily laden tables and banquets of all manner of delicious treats are the order of the day. Feasting begins on Christmas Eve and goes on for twenty-four hours. Delectable delights, such as the famously Sicilian cannoli and cassata, are enjoyed all over the island, as are buccellati, the tasty biscuits filled with pistachios, almonds and dried fruits.
Traditionally, presents are opened on Christmas Eve when all the family comes together to enjoy the festivities. The whole event is celebrated in style and is intricately woven into the very family orientated society that is so commonly seen throughout Italy.
If you decide to stay in one of the Sicily villas over New Year, too, you will be guaranteed even more of a celebration. A big dinner, plenty of spumante and lots of cheer are the name of the game on a Sicilain New Year.
Looking for your perfect home away from home in Italy? Mark Slaviero is a Director of Holiday Homes in Italy, a company specialising in finding the holiday home, villa or apartment of your dreams. For the ideal Sicily villas and accommodation in Tuscany, the Amalfi Coast, the Italian Lakes, ski resorts and more, we offer the best in every region.
Mark Slaviero
