News from Italy
Tolfa Christmas Village:
The excellence of the town cannot be missed!
Vita gazette – In the picturesque medieval village of Tolfa, nestled among rural landscapes, the magic and tradition of Christmas ends this week. You can’t miss Santa Claus’ Village, a few steps from Rome! December 16 -17 are the last days.
The magic and tradition of Christmas began in Tolfa on 8 December with Santa Claus’ Village, which is now in its 10th edition. The Christmas events officially kicked off last December 8th in Tolfa with the switching on of the splendid and evocative lights along Via Roma, Via Sant’Antonio, Piazza Matteotti, the many parallel streets of the village and Piazza Vittorio Veneto, with the centre a long tunnel of lights that opens towards the splendidly illuminated fortress. On 8 December, during the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, the traditional “Tolfa Nativity Scenes” were inaugurated and placed in suggestive environments along the village’s historic centre. All the residents of the streets went out of their way to decorate all the roads with lights, homemade objects, plants and so on. Tolfa in this period is a real gem, and it is worth visiting and fully experiencing the magic of Christmas. The Rocca, which has always been a symbol of Tolfa, is fairytale-like in this period: the many streets, especially those in the historic centre, are decorated and illuminated with the contribution of the residents themselves, eager to participate in the usual initiative, which on 21 December rewards “La via most beautiful at Christmas”.
Thanks to the Sponsors, the event has free entry, where you can do Christmas shopping, take part in many attractions, and see many artistic shows of acrobatics, dance and music. It is little more than an Idea born in 2013, a small thought that today, ten years later, comes to life in the historic centre of Tolfa among its architectural beauties, passing through the main commercial street, up to the large square of the Municipality, with adjacent the Villa Comunale built in the second half of the 19th century as a large botanical garden with a theatre inside.
An entire town at work which for this 10th edition has opened the doors to visitors of 11 locations: the Befana Workshop, Santa’s House, the Gingerman’s House, the Elves Painters, Santa’s Gallery Christmas, The Storyteller Elves, the Toymaker’s House, the Elves’ Post Office, the Greedy Elves, the Grinch’s Den and the Christmas Park.
Fire Shows, Stilt Walkers, Street Bands, Entertainment for Children, Circus for the little ones, Quod and fantastic Santa Clauses on motorbikes, Christmas Concerts, dance and music shows, String Orchestra, Illuminations, Initiatives for 4-legged friends, the Flag-Waving Elves will also animate Santa’s Village.
It is a small local reality, which offers the visitor the opportunity to simultaneously visit its landscape and architectural beauties such as Monte della Rocca with its Sanctuary and the Frangipane Castle overlooking Santa Claus’ Village, historical locations such as the Tower dell’Orologio, the Palazzaccio, Palazzo Buttaoni, Palazzo Celli, Palazzo della Ragione, Palazzo Panetti, Cultural Center – Civic Museum and Cloister of the Augustinian Fathers and Convent of the Capuchins. But also wholly immerse yourself in Nature, independently visiting the Etruscan Sites of Tolfa, adjacent to the town: Pian Conserva Necropolis, Ferrone Necropolis, Pian Sultano Necropolis, Sasso della Strega, Piantangeli Abbey, Etruscan Temple – Cerro Bello but also the Caves of ‘Tanning alum.
As per tradition, the soundtrack of Santa Claus’ Village will be the “Giuseppe Verdi” Musical Band of Tolfa, now in its 157th year of history (since 1866), one of the oldest bands in Italy. At the end of the five days of Christmas celebrations, the event will end on 17 December 2023 with a Fireworks Show full of colours and music, preceded by the traditional Tombola drawn from the balcony of the Municipality.
Tolfa has been recognised as the City of the Horse since 2019, so the Pony Walk inside the Santa Claus Village cannot be missed to bring the little ones closer to the local equestrian world, which every year sees young Tolfa residents achieve important recognition at both the national and European and today it is the oldest sport and tradition of the medieval village.
The Catana (also known as the Tolfetana), the native leather bag for which Tolfa is famous throughout the world, can be purchased in Via Roma n° 75 (Selleria Bartolozzi) and Via Roma n°170 (Pelletteria Vannicola).