LSUvetgirl

Hey everybody.....ok so here's an odd question.....

Things are coming together for our December trip to Italy, spending Christmas in Sorrento/Naples and our anniversary and New Year's in Rome.

I have sort of resigned myself to the fact that since everything will be closed, Christmas will be quiet and laid back, something like cheese and salami and limoncello in our hotel room, but I am kind of wistful about it; it would be so lovely to experience an authentic Italian Christmas evening, seeing what foods they prepare, any cute traditions, etc. This seems a bit unrealistic as we have no friends in Italy and we don't speak Italian.

But I thought it might be worth digging around, seeing if we could find a family who thought it would be a neat cultural exchange to "adopt" a couple of Americans for their Christmas celebrations. Has anyone ever done anything like this? Any ideas as to where to start? I thought about posting something on the Naples craigslist or something like that....seems like in these days of the "global village" I should be able to find a pen pal or something, but I don't even know where to look!

Of course, a quiet Christmas is fine too, but it just seems like we're missing something of the cultural experience....

And obviously I realize that a lot of families would think it very weird to share their "family holiday" with a couple of strangers, but I thought maybe somewhere out there would be someone who thought it would be neat!

Any ideas?
Carrie

bellastarr

Hi-
Well, I did spend part of Christmas Eve and Christmas day with a local family in Sorrento, but they were people I had already formed a relationship with over a couple of years.

There is a saying that rhymes in Italian, but in English it means something like: "Easter with whomever you want, and Christmas with your own."
But you never know, fate might help you and you may meet someone who wants to adopt you for the day.
It's also good to remember that the locals spend much of their lives dealing with and serving the needs of tourists, and Christmas is one of the times they can have together for themselves.

Craig'slist might be an interesting idea-Certainly worth a try! In any case don't worry- the sights, sounds and smells of Sorrento and Naples at Christmas will really warm your hearts!

caroline_edinburgh

You could try joining Slow Food. A group from the Naples convivium visited Edinburgh last year. I don't know if you have convivia (local groups) in the US but you can just join as an international member via the website, and that may give you an 'in'. (Assuming you are foodies ? )

noe847

It will be interesting to see if you can arrange a holiday 'adoption.' If not, you really might have a lovely time. We were in Regensburg, Germany last Christmas, and had a hard time locating a restaurant that would be open for dinner on Christmas Eve. We spent that morning visiting the markets and put together a festive picnic dinner in our hotel. The hotel staff brought us china and silver from their restaurant (closed). We went to 10:00pm services at the cathedral (went two hours early to get seats) - just ethereal. On Christmas day we walked around the city and had dinner reservations at a nice restaurant - more places were ope n on Christmas day than on the Eve, which is when the Germans have their big celebration. It was aquiet but very peaceful way to celebrate Christmas.

Good luck to you however it turns out.

nessundorma

There is someone who posts on the Slow Travel message board who lives in Napoli. Perhaps you can ask over there.

bellastarr

The Christmas Eve meal is the big feast in Italy too- the above poster has a good idea- of you don't find a family- tell your hotel you want to celebrate in a special way and they might come up with a way to help you!

celticdreams

Not sure how you would work it, but there is a large US Navy base in Naples. Maybe you could find out if they are doing something for single sailors and maybe volunteer there. You wouldn't have that "Italian" Christmas you're longing for, but it could be quite rewarding.

RebeccaYouSee

In reply to the large US Base, it is true that there are two bases in the greater Naples area, but you would need to be signed onto the base by an I.D. cardholder, and the Single Sailor program is called the "Liberty Center". They dont plan XMas until late Oct-Nov.