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.

CHRISTMAS is undoubtedly the holiest one in Italy. Why? Because it simply is host to the world’s headquarters of Catholicism which is the Vatican City. Speaking of the Vatican City, Italy holds a number of world records because of its places. Vatican City is the only state in the world located within another country. Venice is the only pedestrian city in the world and the only city in the world sitting on a lagoon. Vatican City is likewise called the smallest state in the world. And it is where Pope Benedict XVI reigns and presides the Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve. Many thousands of people witness the Mass – not only Vatican City citizens and Italians but also Roman Catholic delegates from around the world – from Australia to New Zealand, from Greenland to the Palestine area.

These people ultimately house themselves not just in Rome’s five-star hotels and motels but also in the various vacation homes around the area. And as elsewhere in the world, Roman children love to have Christmas caroling at this part of the year. They usually troop to vacation homes because they know foreign Catholics can be more generous than their counterparts because foreigners only live once here during Christmastime. So when you encounter these carolers, have a heart and be generous too. After all, Christmas is for children because we’re celebrating the birth anniversary of the Messiah in the first place.

But not all residents in Italy are Catholics. Thus we also have Jewish communities spread around Italy. And just like their Catholic counterparts, they also have a celebration in the middle of winter – the Hanukah celebration. During these celebrations in the coldness of winter here in Italy, you can encounter such original Jewish delicacies as smoked ham, kebab, shawarma and Hanukah doughnuts. They even feature unleavened bread in accordance with strict Jewish traditions. Speaking of winter, one can be very cold here in Italy. That’s why you need to don yourself with layers and layers of clothing during Christmastime if you don’t want to die of frostbite. Temperatures here can be down at -5 degrees Celsius.

It’s warmer at the Mediterranean areas though at the eastern side of the country. There will be few snowfalls there and you can greet the simple local fishermen every time they unload their daily catch. Who knows, you can even buy a single grouper at 70 percent off the amount you need to pay when it goes to a local market. As long as the vacation home you’ve rented has a grill outside, you can grill all you want the variety of Mediterranean catch around you. Or if you don’t want grilling your seafood, you can always accompany it with a teaspoon or two of olive oil and fry it. Olive oil is after all said to be the healthiest cooking oil in the world because of its relatively low fat content.

Then again, if you are bored with the Mediterranean areas, you can always go back to the city and rent a day or two at a cheap but functional and elegant motel. You don’t need to have a reservation as motels here especially in Rome come in abundance. But with the five-star ones, they are usually booked the whole year round so you need to reserve on a month’s notice.

Italy has been rushed with tourists coming from all over the world annually. And in fact the population of Italy never lowered from its expected number of folks because of the fact that the number of tourists who is coming in here are included in the survey. The country has fifty seven million folks nestled with both the number of immigrants as well as the natives. In which this factor makes the country of Italy became one of the populated country worldwide. Italy has popularly recognized as “bel paese, dove ‘l si sona which means the beautiful country of the ringing since it’s shaped is like a boot. The place located in the Mediterranean and abounds with many islands. However, there are two islands that dominate the country of Italy. This is the island of Sicily which has a measure of 25, 426.2 sq km, and the island of Sardinia with the measure of 23, 812.6 sq km.

The country of Italy has been dominated with Christian Catholic religion; it is an institution of Italy that plays an important role during the history of the Italian politics. And in fact, even the large cities of Italy are having a landscape of churches as well as their tiny villages. Italy’s parish is actually the center of thousands of thousands of towns. However, Catholic is not the only religion in Italy although most of the people in here are Christian Catholic in religion. But after the Catholicism religion, the second largest religion is the Muslim followers. There are about 600, 000 believers coming from the immigrants of the Arab countries and in fact these number of believers found in Italy is not the approximate number of Muslim believers. There are 200, 000 protestants particularly Waldenses, Methodists, Baptists, Lutherans and more.

When landing to Italy, you will be amazed with its many splendor and magnificent views to discover. One of the most visited panoramic scenery in Italy is obviously the Rome. It is the center of Christianity, the artists as well as the architects gives their best under the supervision of the popes and their families especially during the Renaissance and the Baroque times which made astonishing works of art. Rome is located in the middle of a heaving plain which is the Campagna Romana and at its point lays the hills of Monte Mario, Gianicolo and Monterverde. While on the other ground which is made up of volcanic material from Lazio is known as the “Seven Hills”. Even wandering around Rome is already an amazing travel since you will be discovering magnificent views and places you have never yet seen through your entire life.

Located in the extreme north-east of Italy, is another place to go when landing in Italy is the city of Venice. Don’t miss visiting the part of Venice Italy which is San Marco, which is the heart of the Venetian life since the very first day of San Marco. There are many astounding views you can discover when having a foot in Venice which in particular you will see the beauty of its two of the most historic attractions which are the Basilica and the Palazzo Ducale. Another view you shouldn’t miss when traveling around Venice is the major city church which is the Basilica of St. Mark’s. Discover more things about Italy and surely you enjoy everything you see.