"Our Paesani" is a column written by Francesca Di Meglio. Its purpose is to help bridge the gap between Italians in Italy and Italians throughout the world.

Be Cool in 2007
The end of the year is a time for both reflection and predictions. That's why I've decided to put together an Italian-centric list that outlines what was and what will be. If you want to be in with the Italians, then you'll pay close attention to the "in" list for 2007. Consider this your guide to being cool.

Christmas in Italy
I cried for days the first time I went to Italy for Christmas. I was 11, and we had to convince my little sister Rosaria that Santa Claus would be able to find us in Ischia, a small island off the coast of Naples. There were no lights on the houses, and we were the only ones on the block with a Christmas tree. It all seemed so tragic. Italians might not go all out with the decorations, but the holiday spirit is alive and well in the Motherland.

Easter: An Italian Child's Perspective
Like most religious holidays, Easter is taken more seriously in Italy than it is in the United States. Many people - even those who don't usually go to church - attend Mass throughout Holy Week and on Easter Sunday. Many participate in outdoor reenactments of the Stations of the Cross. Although you'll find chocolate eggs stuffed with toys in many a store window, you will not hear mention of the Easter bunny or chickadees or Peeps. Still, the children in Italy look forward to this time of year and have traditions that uplift their religious faith but also are entertaining.

Easter in Italy
Deep purple, hot pink, dusty blue, and bright yellow are just a few of the glorious colors that wash over southern Italy at Easter. This five part article takes a look at the religious and spiritual experience, the holiday, food and the day after Easter, which is still a holiday in Italy.

Edible Gifts Italians Will Love
The holiday season is well underway, which means you're probably searching for the perfect presents for everyone on your list. If Italians or Italophiles are among your friends and family, then you probably know that food - and not money - makes their world go round. Therefore, edible gifts will be a surefire winner this holiday. Take your cues from the Italians themselves. Here are some delicious ideas.

Favor Your Guests
If you're looking to incorporate Italian tradition into your nuptials, then you should consider giving your guests bomboniere or Italian wedding favors. Surfing the Web for these treasures, you might find that they are simply too expensive.

Fear the Evil Eye
Italians are a complicated people. On the one hand, many of them, especially the older ones, are ardent believers in the Catholic Church. On the other hand, a large chunk of the population, especially in the south, believes in the malocchio or evil eye. As I understand it, the malocchio happens when someone wishes bad on you and gives you an evil look that has the power of an evil spell. I thought these beliefs were dead in modern Italy, but some people are hanging onto them.

Find Faith in Italian Nativity Scenes
Clearly, I need something to believe in, and I'm missing the holiday season in Italy, which is as much a celebration of hope as it is Jesus' birthday. And just what is the ultimate symbol of Italy's bright-eyed optimism at this time of year? The presepio or nativity scene. Others have their Christmas trees, but nothing compares to the masterpiece crèches for which Italians are famous.

Fuse Italian Tradition into Your Wedding
The wedding season is well underway in Italy - and many parts of the world. Just ask my boyfriend Antonio, who lives in Italy, and went to two weddings in the last week. If you are planning your nuptials, consider including authentic Italian tradition into your ceremony and reception. Here are some of the more well-known ones.

A Guide to the Easter Season in Italy
I've written lots about Italy's Easter traditions and foods and my experiences. Whether you can take a trip to Italy for Easter or not, here is a guide to celebrating the holiday in Italy - or at least like an Italian from wherever you are.

Have an Italian Christmas
Christmas has arrived. But it's not too late to make your Christmas an Italian one. Here are some last-minute tips for doing just that.

Halloween Comes to Italy
Halloween is not an Italian tradition. But, just as the Disney channel and Coca-Cola before it, Halloween is beginning to infiltrate Italy. When I was in Italy in early October, there ceramic pumpkins and witches in many stores. And my Italian nieces, who range in age from nine to 11, drew picture of pumpkins and spelled Halloween-related words in English class.

I'm a Believer! Stories of the Italian Christmas Witch
Italy is such a magical place for children that they receive gifts from not one but two mythical figures during the holiday season. You see in Italy, the holiday season really lasts through Jan. 6, or the Epiphany, and on that day La Befana, known to some as the Christmas witch, brings goodies to all of Italy's children.

Italian Baby Names Dictionary
As many people who follow this column know, I'm newly married to an Italian man. Because we're newlyweds, everyone here in Italy is asking us when we're going to have Italian babies. If you're looking for an Italian baby name to honor your heritage, this is the Italian baby names dictionary for you.

Italian Bouquets
Flowers are beautiful all over the world, but the Italians seem to know how to put flowers together in a bunch in a way that is both natural and artistic at the same time. As a soon-to-be-bride and daughter of a landscaper, I'm a big fan of flowers, especially when they're part of a bouquet. And I find myself buying people bouquets whenever I'm in Italy just to see what the florist comes up with.

An Italian Gift Guide: 8 Presents for Paesani
Searching for the perfect gift for an Italophile (or, for that matter, anyone with sophisticated taste)? I've found something for just about everyone on your list, whether you want to spend thousands or next to nothing. The best part? There's a little bit of la nostra Italia in each suggestion. Here, my favorite ideas.

An Italian New Year's Eve Party
As Italians ushered in 2005, they uncorked about 30 million bottles of spumante wine, mostly from the comfort of their homes. About 55% of Italians said they were going to have a New Year's Eve dinner a casa instead of going out for expensive meals or parties. Truly, Capo d'Anno or New Year's Eve is a one-of-a-kind celebration in Italy. If you haven't experienced it, you don't know what you've been missing. Here are the highlights.

Italian Rx
After a prolonged summer, the autumn chill arrived two days ago. Since the colder air arrived - from Canada, I think - in the northeastern United States, I've had the sniffles. When I complained about a tickle in my throat, my father Pasquale started heating up some olive oil. All over Italy - or at least on the island of Ischia, where he's from - people continue to do this whenever someone has a cold. In fact, they have all sorts of wacky remedies for the sick and injured. Here are some others.

An Italian Thanksgiving Feast
When my editor asked me to come up with a column that connected Italy to Thanksgiving, I was thrown for a loop. Thanksgiving could not be more American. What does it have to do with Italy? But the key ingredient to a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday is food - and no one does food quite like Italy.

Italy Adjusts to Life with a New Pope
Being in Italy when 78-year-old Joseph Ratzinger, now Benedetto XVI, was named the Holy Pontiff was an opportunity to witness history. Even more so, it was a chance to gauge the collective Italian disappointment at the thought of another reign of a conservative, non-Italian pope. In short, the Italian public was stunned. Still reeling from the death of the beloved Pope John Paul II, who the country had eventually accepted as one of its own, Italy was more than a little disappointed to hear that another non-Italian would be overseeing the Vatican in Rome.

Italy Loses a Pope, Friend, Believer
Even though Pope John Paul II was the first non-Italian pontiff since 1522, he lived up to his name as the people's "pope" - and won over the Italians with his mission of peace and his charismatic personality.

Last Minute Gifts for Italians and Italophiles
Didn't finish your holiday shopping? No worries. If you're searching for the perfect present for the paesani on your list, I can offer a few ideas.

Make Sweet Easter Last
Did you know Pasquetta (Easter Monday) is a legal holiday in Italy? Find out how you can celebrate this day with a picnic like the Italians and make your holiday endure one more day. This two part article includes a couple of menus that you can prepare for your picnic with family and friends.

My Italian Wedding Diary
Wedding season has pretty much arrived. The invitations have already arrived, and the brides are heading off to their final wedding dress fitting. Just a year ago at this time, I was happily planning my October wedding in Italy and November vow renewal in the United States. I married an Italian, Antonio Gerenini, not once but twice because our families, though both originally from Ischia, Italy, live in different countries. Learn about Italian wedding traditions from my experiences getting married to an Italian in Italy.

Observe Lent in Italy
Italy, with Venice's annual festivities, is much more famous for Carnevale, the day before Lent begins, than it is for the 40-day countdown to Easter. However, among Catholics, who make up the majority of Italy, Lent is the holiest time of year. And there is much work to do in preparation of the anniversary of when Jesus rose from the dead.

A Saint's Feast Day Is Still Important to Many Italians
We want to know how you celebrate the feast day of particular saints. Find out how to let us know your traditions.

Send Your Love to Italy for the Holidays
The holiday season is right around the corner, which means it's the perfect time to show your gratitude and affection to loved ones near and far. Thanks to modern technology keeping in touch with your relatives and friends in Italy is easier than ever. Here are some easy - and affordable - ways to send your love during the happiest time of the year.

Stay Connected with Loved Ones in Italy
Like me, you're probably pining for days gone by with your Italian relatives and friends. Instead of accepting sadness, do something about it.

A Thanksgiving Love Story
There is nothing more American than Thanksgiving. Four years ago, when my cousin Fausto and his friend Antonio (who is now my husband) chose to visit the United States for the first time for Thanksgiving, I was delighted. It was a chance to share my country's number one holiday - the parade, the turkey, the football - with those who had never experienced it before.

'Tis the Season for Tombola
Italy is all fun and games during the holiday season. The country's decorations are far more subdued and serious than those you might see in the United States. It's all nativity scenes and gold stars with few trees and lights. But in homes across the country, the people come together to laugh, eat, drink - and gamble. It's not what you think. Sometimes they're playing for beans or one or two euro (which are coins in Italy). They are playing Tombola or the Italian version of bingo.

What Does the Pope's 25th Anniversary Mean for Italian Catholics?
Amidst the current problems of the Catholic Church, Pope John Paul II celebrated his 25th anniversary. Is the Catholic Church falling apart under his guidance or is it stronger than ever?

What's So Great about the Italian Piazza on New Year's Eve and Everyday
Nowhere in the world is a space dedicated solely to people watching so revered and worshipped as in Italy. In the United States, we have nothing that comes close to a piazza. There is no place to just sit and be. A piazza in Italy is home base for a town, where neighbors gather to debate the issues of the day (from Italy's place in the economic crisis to whether the town should invest in new soccer jerseys), gossip (mostly about who is sleeping with who), judge, entertain, and see and be seen.

Why You Absolutely Must Learn to Speak Italian?
Language can either be the bridge that connects or the wall that divides us. Thanks to the unified efforts of the National Italian American Foundation, the Order Sons of Italy in America and UNICO-National, the College Board in June unanimously voted to approve the Advanced Placement test for Italian. The AP test allows high school students who have been studying a particular subject to take a standardized test that helps them get college credit without taking – or paying for – a college course, depending on their score.

Wine Making Unlocks Ischia's Culture
When the sun sets on summer, the people of Ischia, a small island off the coast of Naples, begin preparing for the vendemmia or grape harvest. Many families and friends invite each other to their vineyards and host a lunch, often served at long harvest tables or as a picnic. But before breaking bread, the guests and hosts work side by side to cut the grapes off the vines for wine making.

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