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How to Enjoy Milan for the Holidays

How to Enjoy Milan for the Holidays

The first week of December in Milan is essentially the start of the Christmas season. The Feast of Saint Ambrose, Milan’s patron saint, is a public holiday on December 7th, followed by the national holiday for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception the very next day. And then the Christmas season extends until Epiphany, which doesn’t take place until January 6th.

In a country where nearly 90% of the population is not just Christian, but Catholic, obviously these church holidays throughout Italy shape the month of December and into the new year. And as the weather chills, the smell of roasting chestnuts reaches you as you stroll down the central streets and there are stands selling a steaming cup of mulled wine, or vin brulee. Signs that it is time to get into the holiday spirit!

Here are some special events to experience in Milan during the holiday season:

Christmas Markets

The big square, or piazza, in front of Milan’s Duomo (the main cathedral) is filled with row after row of vendors selling Christmas-related items starting at the beginning of December, as are the public gardens, or Giardini Pubblici. A variety of crafts and foods are on sale to help you find gifts for the holidays, but there are also food items for immediate consumption to help keep your energy up as you shop. Christmas markets in Europe are a destination unto themselves!

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L’Artigiano in Fiera

Loosely meaning artisanal goods in a festival or fair, this is hands-down the favorite market I’ve been to in Europe. The first thing to know is that it is massive, beyond what you could imagine if you’ve never been to a large-scale convention on the continent. It completely takes over Milan’s newer convention center, which is so large that its footprint lies at the very end of the red metro line as it could not be accommodated in the city. And L’Artigiano in Fiera features handmade goods, crafts, furniture, scarves, trinkets, you-name-it from all over the world.

Giant convention halls are devoted to a single continent or region, with stalls as far as the eye can see, and of course there are tons of food stalls and restaurants intermixed, with the best examples of Italian and ethnic foods you could hope for. Giant baguette? Check. A black truffle for 10? Check. A fresh round of Tête de Moine cheese from Switzerland? Check. Candied ginger from Asia? Check. It’s a wonderland for the serious foodie, and boasts the best selection of holiday gift options you may ever come across. It runs during the first two weekends in December, including the weekdays in between, which will be the far less crowded times to visit.

oh-bej-oh-bej

Feast of Saint Ambrose & Oh Bej! Oh Bej! Market

Not only is this the local Milan holiday for the city’s patron saint with associated religious celebrations, but there is also a giant market called Oh Bej! Oh Bej! that takes place in and around the Sforza Castle from December 7th (the Feast day) through the following Sunday. The curved road around the castle becomes pedestrian-only and fills with locals doing holiday shopping or simply coming to eat their way through the predominantly Italian snacks and street food available at the many stands. Even if you’re not looking for anything particular, there is such a variety of goods, from artwork to kitchenware to fresh spices to jewelry that even without making a purchase you’ll be entertained for several hours.

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Babbo Running

Babbo is the name affectionately given by the Italian to the man you may know better as Santa Claus. So yes, Babbo Running is just as fun to watch as you might imagine. Taking place in mid-late December, this run to benefit charity usually has its course around the same Sforza Castle area that hosts the Oh Bej! Oh Bej! market described above. And the runners? All dressed in Santa costumes!

Christmas Midnight Mass at the Duomo

Although many Milanesi will be on vacation over the holidays, those who remain in the city may opt for attending midnight mass at the iconic Gothic cathedral, the Duomo. If you plan to attend, be sure to arrive when the doors open at 10:30pm to secure a seat. The mass typically begins at 11:30pm on Christmas Eve, December 24th.

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New Year’s Eve Concert in Piazza Duomo

While there are New Year’s Eve events all over town, one of the popular outdoor events is the several-hours long free concert in the giant square in front of the Duomo cathedral, leading up to the countdown at midnight. It’s also totally legal to have open bottles of alcohol with you on the street, which many people celebrating will bring along (do note however, that if you have any glass bottles you’ll need to stay outside the barricade – where you can still hear and enjoy the concert, of course).

TIP! If you spend New Year’s Eve in Milan, watch out for the people setting off fireworks in the streets if you’re doing any walking between parties or back at the end of the night.

And while you’re in Milan for the holidays…

Traditional Food & Drink

In addition to the mulled wine (vin brulee) and roasted chestnuts available from street vendors throughout the city, there is a typical Milanese holiday dessert that is not to be missed – panettone. Panettone is a large, airy, yellow bread studded with candied fruit. Markets will sometimes have them in miniature size, or you can even find panettone from the large loaf available by the slice. And if you’d like the version without the candied pieces inside, just ask for Pandoro.

       READ MORE: Best Things to Eat & Drink in Milan for the Holidays

 

What local traditions help you to get into the holiday spirit?  If you’ve been to Milan for the holidays, anything else I should have recommended?  Let me know in the ‘Comments’ below!

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How to Enjoy Milan Italy for the Holidays

What It’s Like Celebrating July 4th Abroad

What It’s Like Celebrating July 4th Abroad

There is something particular about being overseas for a national holiday – especially your country’s Independence Day – and I’ve had my fair share of experience celebrating July 4th abroad. Which for me has always been a very different experience from celebrating at home.

Perhaps my desire to mark the day somehow is due to the many all-American July 4th celebrations I’ve had stateside. As a kid on a road trip with my sister and grandparents, we spent the evening of July 4th in Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia, watching fireworks in a historical American setting with staff milling about in period dress.

As an adult, I lived in Washington, DC for nearly a decade, and spent many Independence Days there. Once spending it in the crowds of people down on the National Mall by all of the monuments. Another year at the top of a hill overlooking the fireworks from a neighborhood spot where everyone had poured out onto the streets. I also enjoyed hosting a barbecue and watching the fireworks from afar for many years with large groups of friends on the rooftop of my apartment building. Eating red, white, and blue colored desserts and taking in the many fireworks displays across the horizon.

And then after so many typically American July 4th celebrations, I moved abroad.

Whether living abroad or simply taking advantage of the day off for the holiday to take a trip overseas, many of you have probably been out of the country for the 4th of July, even if it was just once.

I’ve enjoyed celebrating July 4th abroad many times now, whether it was where I was living at the time, or on a summer trip. Here are a few of the ways I’ve marked the day when I’ve been outside of the US:

Celebrating July 4th Abroad in Perth, Australia

When you live abroad, it’s sort of an unwritten rule that you have one week before and after to properly celebrate a holiday from back home that is just another regular day where you’re living. Especially when it’s a holiday that falls on a weekday.

So in 2012 when I was living in Perth, Australia, my July 4th celebration actually happened a few days early – on July 1st (thanks cell phone camera, for helping me figure that out exactly!). Definitely within that week leeway on either side of the actual date.

I knew the celebration was a carnival, taking place mostly outdoors. And remember that while July is summer in the US, it’s wintertime in Australia. Fortunately Perth has one of the mildest Australian winters, so it was still quite pleasant strolling around.

I knew the event was a carnival, but there were a lot of unexpected ways that the event was an “American” celebration.

Like the American classic cars:

Classic Cars Celebrating July 4th Abroad Perth Australia 2012-07-01 11.39.16Classic Cars Celebrating July 4th Abroad Perth Australia 2012-07-01 11.36.05Jeep Celebrating July 4th Abroad Perth Australia 2012-07-01 11.41.49

Although you typically need to re-fit any cars you bring over to move the steering wheel to the right-hand side like the Australian vehicles, you can get a special dispensation to keep the steering wheel on the left if you have a classic car.

Or the tons of motorcycles, many outfitted with American décor:

Motorcycles Celebrating July 4th Abroad Perth Australia 2012-07-01 11.38.59Motorcycles Celebrating July 4th Abroad Perth Australia 2012-07-01 11.46.50

Yes, there was a carnival, too. A costume contest and an American flag cake and booths all around, including from the local Perth baseball team.

Costume Contest Classic Cars Celebrating July 4th Abroad Perth Australia 2012-07-01 13.12.59

But it was the unique aspects of the day – namely the vehicles – that still stand out in my memory the most.

Celebrating July 4th Abroad over a Road Trip in France

One year the 4th of July fell over a summer road trip. On July 3rd I waved goodbye to the foodie mecca of San Sebastian, Spain, and headed toward a small town across the border in France to stay with family friends of my traveling companion.

This was a British couple with a vacation home in France, and the timing just happened to work out for us to pop in for a night. What I didn’t know was that the couple had just recently become American citizens, after several years living in the US.

So when we first drove up to the gate, this was our welcome:

American Flag Welcome Celebrating July 4th Abroad small town France 20150704_153135 edited (2)

Obviously we had found the right house, and had even been placed in a room in the house meticulously decorated with American memorabilia. However, that was the end of the American-themed part of the day.

We enjoyed a dinner of local specialties with bottles of wine we picked up at a winery just down the road. In the morning, we strolled through a local market and had a typically French start to the morning with cafe au lait and fresh croissants.

Just Another Day Celebrating July 4th Abroad small town France 20150705_093515 edited (2)Market Breakfast Celebrating July 4th Abroad small town France 20150705_094445

Somehow, though, as I reveled in the local French experience, it stood out as a contrast to what the day would have been like had I been in the US instead.

Celebrating July 4th Abroad in Milan, Italy

July 4th last year, which I spent at home in Milan, Italy, had the potential to be my biggest July 4th overseas yet. I had lived in the city nearly three years at that point and knew a ton of other Americans. I was a member of an English-speaking women’s club that had a lot of American members. I was invited to a large Independence Day celebration.

While the day had the potential to be a blowout July 4th, it ended up being incredibly low-key. It was like any other Monday, and although as an American I definitely wanted to celebrate somehow, I did not feel up for the party atmosphere.

So instead I had what for me was the perfect way to mark the holiday. I met up with a small group of American friends locally and we went for dinner together at a restaurant owned by an American friend.

And as my own personal way to mark the day as being different, I conducted a mini act of American rebellion in Italy of wearing flip flops out. Which definitely marks you as an outsider, as this is not how the locals dress when they leave the house in Italy.

Flip Flop Rebellion Celebrating July 4th Abroad Milan Italy 20160704_194716

Although my July 4th in Milan might not sound so exciting, when you’re overseas and national holidays come along, it’s up to you how you would like to celebrate. Sometimes the big organized party will be your speed, other times it’s a quiet meal with close friends.

However you decide to mark the occasion, the important piece for me has always been doing something special and recognizing the day in some way. Making the holiday your own, even if it’s not a typical celebration.

Happy 4th of July!!

Have you ever been in the position of celebrating July 4th abroad? What was the experience like for you? If you’ve always celebrated July 4th stateside, would you ever consider being abroad for the holiday? I’d love to hear your thoughts and about your experiences!

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What it's Like Celebrating July 4th Abroad

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