In Italy, New Year's Eve is known as the Notte di San Silvestro. December 31 is the feast day of San Silvestro, an early pope who departed this life on December 31, 335.
New Year's eve is also known as the Vigilia di Capodanno, or the vigil before New Year's Day.
Some old Italian traditions for celebrating New Year's Eve include:
- wearing red underwear,
- disposing of old or unused items by dropping them from the window, and
- eating lentil stew when the bell tolls midnight, one spoonful per bell
We did not enjoy those traditions, but we did venture out into the cold to enjoy one of the many free outdoor concerts. We attended a gospel concert in front of the Basilica of San Lorenzo not far from our apartment. The crowd was large and the Italian singers gave a strong performance. We had a good time there.
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| Gospel music concert in front of the Basilica of San Lorenzo (12/31/2016) |
At midnight, we enjoyed prosecco (Italian sparking wine) in the warmth of our apartment. We also enjoyed watching an amazing display of fireworks from our windows. We counted more than 10 different locations where fireworks were lighting the clear night sky. Two displays were atop hills just north of Florence. The fireworks lasted quite a long time. In addition, we saw more than a dozen wish lanterns rise into the sky. We enjoyed the spectacle in the sky.
Happy New Year! Felice anno nuovo!
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