This past Sunday, we took the holiday bus from Florence up to the snowcapped hilltops of Tuscan Romagna. Palazzuolo sul Senio, once named "Italian Ideal Village" of the year, has several claims to fame. Inhabited since the Upper Paleolithic era (i.e. for the last 14,000 years ...), this charming Italian village thrived in the high Middle Ages and went on to host such powerhouses as Machiavelli and Garibaldi ... none of these (albeit impressive) tidbits is what drew us to the town. Each year, shopkeepers, children, and artists contribute to Palazzuolo sul Senio's 1,000 nativity scenes, placed all over the city in all shapes, sizes, forms and degrees of creative license...
Elementary school students created their manger out of painted rocks. This was one of our favorites.
This one is hidden beneath a log at the foot of a steep hiking trail at the outskirts of the town.
Birdcage manger!
The Holiday Market goes on every Sunday for the entire month. We spent a good amount of time sampling the local specialities, among which frittelle di castagne (chestnut fritters) and panzerotti (fried dough filled with tomato and mozzarella, or ham and cheese).
And ... back to Florence!
