Buon Natale! ITALY Magazine's Best Christmas Stories

Bari in the southern region of Puglia is home to the bones and relics of St. Nicholas – a.k.a Santa Claus, Babbo Natale, Father Christmas...

Here are some of the most popular drinks in Italy to suit dinners, parties and cafés...

... followed by the 10 most popular Christmas desserts you must have on your table!

Moving to what some may consider to be pretty weird food delicacies, we explore the Christmas tradition of eating cotechino and zampone in the region of Emilia-Romagna.

And if you're curious to learn more about regional traditions, here's a look at local Christmas dishes you may never have heard of.

The Italian Christmas would not be complete without the quintessential Italian Christmas cake: panettone. Don't miss this fascinating insight into the legends that have grown around the origin of Panettone.

In the unlikely event of Panettone leftovers, here's a great recipe to "recycle" it!

The beloved family tradition of arranging "il presepe", the nativity scene.

Besides panettone, no Italian Christmas would be complete without the sound of bagpipes. Everywhere from the piazzas of Rome to remote hillside villages, the zampognari (pipers) continue the tradition of festive bagpipe playing that dates back to ancient Roman times.

There are plenty of destinations in Italy where to experience the holiday atmosphere: here are three charming towns where they do Christmas right!