Christmas in Italy

This is an excellent book. You get not only a description and history of Christmas celebrations in Italy, but you get recipes, Christmas songs and instructions for some do-it-yourself crafts.

Part of a series developed several decades ago by World Book for young people, these 80-page books have evolved into a rich storehouse of information for anyone of any age who enjoys learning the Christmas history, stories, regional Christmas songs, Christmas crafts, and holiday recipes of many nations. "Christmas in Italy" was my first book in this series published in 1979. Since then the covers have undergone a few changes but the content stays the same. "The fabulous Italian mangers" is one of my favorite chapters. Another is the chapter on Italian Christmas music with the focus on the zampognari, the shepherds who play bagpipes. They live high in the mountains and come down each year at Christmastime to perform in the Christmas market and at other sites in Rome. These bagpipers also are found in the regions of Calabria and Abruzzi. Italian carols featured in the book include "Carol of the Bagpipers" and "From Starry Skies Thou Comest." Recipes in the book include Baked cod, Fried eel, and Spaghetti with tuna. Collect the whole series for your home library, re-read them every December, and share them with friends and family.