THE Christmas Eve midnight mass has already been officiated by Pope Benedict XVI and what Rome residents and visitors are looking forward right now are the New Year midnight mass to usher in 2008. That and varieties of other enjoyable events mark the revelry in various sites in Italy so stay with me as we begin to unravel on what has transpired in Italy in 2007 and what to expect in the country in 2008.

Of course, the most that Italians are looking forward to this Valentines of 2008 is the movie Jumper, the only Hollywood production which has been allowed to shoot at the Colloseum. The movie stars Hayden Christensen of Star Wars fame opposite Samuel L. Jackson. The movie is directed by Doug Liman who is famous for megging The Bourne Identity, the very first in the series which made Matt Damon a household name.

Another piece of news dominating the headlines as Italy waits for 2008 to unfold is the proposed buyout of flag carrier Alitalia to…dig this…foreign investors! It’s not as if Italy is waiving its patriotism altogether, it’s actually for the good of the country. This is one hefty piece of news as it means that foreigners are still bullish on the Italian economy in 2008 even though there are really serious concerns that the credit crunch currently befalling in the United States will have a repercussion on the global economy as a whole, including that of Italy and the rest of mainland Europe.

Even with the proposed buyout of Alitalia, we cannot doubt the patriotism of Italians. After all, Italy is a relatively new republic at the turn of the century but its traces as a majestic Roman empire has long been there way before Jesus Christ was born. It’s just that for practical reasons, Italians need to connect to other peoples in the world and one of those things is opening up even its Italian-born businesses to foreign investors. Besides, Italians have been used to foreigners visiting their shores. They have not only been enchanted with Venice, the only city on earth sitting on a lagoon and the only remaining car-free city in the world, as well as Milan, the fashion capital of the world, Rome is also host to the Vatican City, visited by foreigners 365 days a year because of its being the center of Roman Catholicism.

In the world of sport where football is a passion here as it is all over Europe, AC Milan got the Champions League title last May and then the Club World Cup just recently in December. The streak is expected to continue by next year. That’s when Milan is not only dominating the fashion industry in Europe but is also dominating the football world by storm. See? The patriotism in Italians still prevails after all despite the purported buyout of its flag carrier, the Alitalia. After all, who can forget the movie Jumper?

With low cost travel at its best ever rates, you really do have a choice for New Year - your plans could take you throughout Europe, not just limited to Italy for NYE celebrations or the sport watching as discussed above. For those who do love sports, they often take interest in the gambling side involved too, guessing winners, goal scorers…Well, all this can be applied to a casino experience (which, when talking about New Year’s Eve, can be a fun and glamorous adventure!). Big European cities such as Madrid are rivalling Las Vegas for their attractions - after your Italian experience, why not stay in the Med but see how Spain’s “juegos de casino” appeal? You could even make it your new year’s resolution to practise online throughout the year to really “wow” your friends when you go to a real casino at the end of the year!

GOING to Italy this winter is such an opportune idea. It may tend to get a little cold here but that’s just the way honeymooning couples bask amidst Christmas lights and fireworks this holiday season. Christmastime may still be two months away but one must reserve his or her plane, hotel and cruise yacht tickets if you want to squeeze going in this country during Christmas.

It’s not an easy one I tell you if you haven’t reserved early. Reserving early is part of the duties and responsibilities of a tourist. After all, it is not just fun that you must attend to. But once you have your documents arranged in proper order and you have adhered to every policy in your host country of Italy, then it will be a very smooth and annoyance-free vacation.

If you come across the Atlantic such as the United States and Canada, then you need to get a visa to get here. But if you come from another European country such as Spain or even the United Kingdom, there’s no need to have a visa because Italy is a member of the European Union just like the rest of these countries.

It is no opportune place to spend Christmas than in Italy. Even non-Catholics and non-Christians tour the country because they want to be spellbound regarding the celebratory atmosphere that has pervaded since time immemorial on the commemoration of the birth of the Messiah.

Christ may not have been born here but the fact remains that Rome and the Vatican City is the seat of Catholicism which has found its minions dominating across the globe. Some countries even have a predominant Catholic following such as France, Spain, Portugal, Mexico, Venezuela and Cuba.

Here in Italy, you may find cathedrals which have eerie looking designs. These are not found anywhere else across the Atlantic in the United States and Canada. There is an explanation to this though and one can fully understand it only when he or she spends a vacation in this beautiful country of Italy.

These eerie looking designs called in architectural parlance as Gothic are meant to entice the pagan inhabitants of old Italy to be converted to Christianity. Eventually, they have been converted but these cathedrals were already there so the Gothic designs remain intact.

Embarking on a vacation in Italy is not just for pleasure or self-indulgence though. One needs to take care of his or her soul first so a vacation is better experienced here if you go to mass as early as during Advent or the four Sundays preceding Christmas and nine days before Christmas Eve itself.

The entrepreneurial spirits of the Italian folk can best be manifested at this point in time because many sidewalk vendors will then line up and lure churchgoers to buy their early breakfast of hot cocoa and mini frittatas, hazelnut cinnamon rolls and iced cappuccino if you hate hot cocoa or hot tea. Then settle down for some jogging before going back to the flat or motel that you are renting. In this way, one can even save on hotel breakfast expenses here in Italy for nine mornings.