Christmas in Bologna.

As many of you know, I live in Bologna. Bologna is a city in north-central Italy, where in the days of Christmas and New Year the cuisine  is the great protagonist. These days you can see lit streets and shops are full of people. The crisis hits here too, but people of Bologna does not waive to eat good food.

In Bologna there are many specialities. First of all, there are the lasagne, a rich dish with ragù: meat sauce of beef and pork in thin layers of dough. You put them in the oven and then serve them with grated Parmesan cheese: tasty for the palate!

Each family, the days leading up to Christmas, decorate his fir: A custom which comes from the Anglo-Saxon countries. But in Italy is still very traditional nativity scene. In some churches of Bologna you can see the animated nativity scene. The most famous is that of the church of San Francesco. 

There is an Italian proverb that says Christmas with your family, Easter with whomever you want. On Christmas Eve dinner is served with fish dishes, such as christian on friday. Then, at the night, the most religious families go to Mass Christmas.  The Mass most suggestive is in the Basilica of San Petronio: the patron saint of Bologna.

On the morning of December 25, are opened Christmas gifts, to the delight of the children.

Then we have lunch together with lasagna, boiled meat, the Rifreddo: a typical large dumpling with beef, mortadella, ham, Parmesan cheese, eggs and other minor ingredients.

At the end of lunch we toast together with sparkling and refreshing white wines, typical of the Bologna hills (Colli Bolognesi), as Pignoletto.

Merry Christmas!