Buon natale

Author: By Marie C. Franklin, Globe Staff

Date: SUNDAY, December 21, 1997

Page: M1

Section: Travel

By tradition, Italians -- 98 percent of whom are Roman Catholic -- celebrate this most Christian of holy day in a big way, starting with a national holiday on Dec. 8, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. Festivities continue through Jan. 6, when Italians observe Three Kings Day, and forego forgo work for church and another national holiday.

``On Dec. 9 we start to see Christmas trees in many homes, probably because we stay home from work the day before and have time to decorate,'' said Laura Merlo, a customer services representative for an electronics firm in the Veneto region of Italy.

Symbols of Christmas appear everywhere. Red velvet bows adorn garland wreaths in large window displays at the COIN department store in Florence. Lights twinkle like moving icicles as they shimmer high above the rain-swept streets of Milan. Suspended from the ceiling of the central courtyard of the mall in Rovigo is a huge, inflated, plastic Babba Natale, or Father Christmas, bobbing up and down. Delicate glass figurines depicting Santa in a gondola and bright green Christmas trees dot the window displays in the glass shops of Venice. In small farming villages along the Adige River, such as Sant 'Urbano and Baldoino, the presipio, or manger scene, lights the main piazza.

Italy is so often visited in summer that its reputation is tarnished by tales of long lines, exorbitant prices, and scorching temperatures. This time, I thought, why not travel to a country with some of the most tempting cultural and consumer goods, in the off-season, a month before Christmas.

In early winter, the pigeons in Piazza San Marco are an ornament of the city, in festive flight above thin crowds; there are more pigeons than people this time of year. There are no waiting lines anywhere -- the museums, the cathedrals, the restaurants are easily accessible, as if to extend season's greetings and the salutation ``Buon Natale.'' In Florence, a last-minute hotel reservation is easy to come by; the reasonably priced room comes with a private bath and a beautiful ceiling fresco. In Milan, the owner of the trattoria takes your order himself and has time to talk about his own holdiay traditions. In Venice, the gondolieris decorate their flat-bottom boats with white lights and green-and-red plaid blankets. Their blue-and-white striped shirts are visible only at the cuffs, otherwise hidden under navy blue sweaters and peacoats. ``We give good price this time of year,'' the rowers call to those passing by.

In a quieter yet definite way, Italy's celebration of Christmas has commercial overtones. `Prezzi speciale per Natale,' the sign in the store window reads: ``Special price for Christmas.'' The International Herald Tribune publishes a four- page gift supplement in its Bologna edition. At commercial centers in Padua and Monselice, children tug their parents toward items on their wish lists: Dolls like Barbia Vetenaria and Fabrica Bambola; for boys, Space Monkeys, model Ferraris and Lamborghinis, and Jumbo 747s, bearing the name of the national airline, Alitalia. Television programs include advertisements for all kinds of gifts, and catalogs arrive in the mail. The outdoor markets are stocked with candles snd poinsettia plants, gift packages stuffed with olive oils and panettone, children's clothing, pure silk ties, leather wallets, and gadgets galore for the kitchen. ``The mercato is the place for Christmas shopping bargains,'' said vendor Giovanni Ferulla.

Like many European workers, Italians anticipate Christmastime not only for religious reasons. The majority of companies in Italy close for at least one week between Christmas and New Year. ``And all of the schools and government offices, and at least one-third of all businesses in the country close for two weeks -- from Dec.23 to Jan. 6,'' according to Alberto Catullo, a technical sales representative.

After Christmas, many people take to the mountains in Cortina D'Ampezzo, the site of the 1959 Winter Olympics in the Dolomite Mountains, or Corvara, a resort town near the Austrian border.

``And people with a lot of money go off to the Caribbean, especially to Cuba or the Dominican Republic,'' Catullo said.

A wonderful time of the year in Italy, this start of the winter season. People pause. They spend leisure time at home with their families. The bowling alleys and video arcades are bustling with crowds gearing up for the holidays. Christmas music plays in the background on city streets. The weather in the north of Italy is more temperate than in Boston, and in early December when there was little sun but mild temperatures, folks crossed their fingers for Christmas snow. Kitchens were gearing up to prepare la cucina, the food, for the feasts of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. All but the very young will go to Midnight Mass.

In Venice, on a side path off the Piazza San Marco, where every third shopkeeper sells statuettes, jewelry, and other products made of Murano glass, a traveler stops to ask whether a particular shop will close from noon to 3 in the afternoon, traditionally a time when all Italian stores close for lunch.

``No, no, sempre operto, we are always open, every day of the year, except one, every day except Christmas,'' said the proprietor.