Christmas

Season's greetings from Florence.

Today is a national holiday in Italy.  Nearly everything is closed:  museums, restaurants, shops, etc.  Plus, the streets are nearly empty of pedestrians, cars and buses.  The town is peaceful.

Last night, we attended a midnight service at our church.  Most of the small number of attendees were visiting tourists.  The pastor told us that is normal.  Most of the regular attendees left Florence for the holidays to visit the U.S. and England.  But not Susan and Greg.  We want the full Florence experience, especially during the holiday season.  So, we attended the midnight service.  Susan read the lessons and the prayers of the people.  She spoke beautifully.   The church was also beautiful.  Below is a photo of the altar.

Following the service, we walked home and passed by the cathedral.  We stopped by the nativity scene to see that the bambino was now in the manger since Christmas had arrived.  Plus, there were flickering candles around the entrances to the cathedral.  Lovely sights.  See below

Buon Natale from Florence.