Christmas day in Florence or Rome

Your preference.
Most Italians spend Xmas day eating a very long lunch with family.
Most things will be closed. However in the historical center there will be restaurants and bars that are open (not all). Churches will be open for service. Stores will be closed.

should we stay rather in Rome then for Christmas day

A long walk or photo safari is another good holiday activity, weather and wardrobe permitting. In which city would you prefer to wander? The old town section of Florence is more compact and walkable, but a taxi can easily get you across town in Rome.

Neither is better or worse. It's a matter of personal preference.
In both cases shops will be closed, museums will be shut down. Churches will be open, at least in the mornings. Bars and restaurants will be in part open in the historical center, at least until lunch time. Italians, after their huge Xmas luncheon will start to come out in the afternoon for their stroll (at least those who can still walk after the 100 course lunch). Going to the movies is a classic on Xmas day, but otherwise there will be tons of people strolling downtown and window shopping (since shops will be closed). Both cities have plenty of beautiful open air monuments in virtually every piazza.

thanks so much

Roberto,

Wouldn't it be a little easier to find restaurants open in the Jewish ghetto area?

Mimi,

Do they still refer to the Jewish quarter of a city as a "ghetto" ???

It isn't historically accurate to refer to Jewish quarters as ghettos because they're no longer ghettos. They are Jewish quarters if the neighborhood is still heavily Jewish, such as within the Marais in Paris, or former Jewish quarters if Jewish people once lived there but for the most part no longer do.

Sarah, thank you!

I think the word "ghetto" is a derogatory term & should not be used in this case.

If you ban the use of the term Jewish Ghetto in Rome or Venice you will have a lot of lost people.

Names of restaurants in the area in Rome:
Ba' Ghetto
La Taverna del Ghetto Kosher

and many others along the via del Portico D'Ottavia and the area around.

The ghettos were a historical fact, many businesses still use the name and the area has good tour guides who specifically provide that history as they walk.

strange to call it a ghetto, but I do appreciate the advice

To understand why the area is called ghetto, you need to know the history of Venice. In 1516 the Jewish people were confined to a small area with limited access near a foundry - a foundry in Italian is a geto - and the term was changed by the inhabitants to ghetto.

The term was used in other areas where similar restrictions were placed, including the area between Largo Argentina and the river in Rome where the Jewish people had lived for centuries prior.

In both Venice and Rome there is still a large Jewish presence in and around those areas, history is taught, and shops run by and for the Jewish community congregate.

I learned a lot in both areas - Venice and Rome - and both ghetto areas are well worth time to understand.

thanks Nigel
we found a tour company who does tours in Italian cities on Christmas day, and they even go through The Ghetto. they have a good reputation with teens and kids too so its perfect. Not sure if its best to go alone but we do want to get some of the history. Angel Tours Rome offer this tour of Rome on Christmas day and the guide is Irish lol.

Ghetto is used in Italian with no negative connotation.

It comes from the name of the neighborhood in Venice where the Jews were forced to live in the 1300s when they moved into the city en masse: Ghetto Nuovo.

It was so named because there was a foundry, which is "geto" in Venetian dialect, but was pronounced "gheto" with the hard 'g', as in the English "get", by the local Jews who were mostly Ashkenazi of German origin.

The Italian for foundry is "fonderia".

Thank you Nigel and Roberto for clarifying. I was surprised at the use of the word "ghetto" in business names, until I read Roberto's post about the word having no negative connotations in Italian. As an American Jew, I look at the history of Jews in Europe through perhaps a slightly different lens than most non-Jews. For many American Jews, the history of Jewish ghettos is yet another example of fear-based ostracism. Obviously I'm sensitive about the term and prefer to use "Jewish quarter" or "former ghetto".

I'm curious about the use of "ghetto" in Italy - is it neutral? Why isn't there a negative connotation among Jewish populations?

Thanks Roberto for clarifying. As a regular visitor to Venice ( just over two months to the next) and with only rudimentary Italian I can't always tell the difference between the Venetian dialect and Italian.

Roberto, Thanks for clarifying.

I had read about the history behind the term, specifically in regards to the foundry in Venice.
It's interesting that the term does not have a negative connotation in Italy like it does here in America.

I agree with Sarah's comment below:

For many American Jews, the history of Jewish ghettos is yet another
example of fear-based ostracism. Obviously I'm sensitive about the
term and prefer to use "Jewish quarter" or "former ghetto".

I don't think one should have the expectation that Italians should change their Italian words and their use, such as ghetto, to comply with some norms of "political correctness" dreamed up in America.

PC in America has gotten out of hand. My sister in law, who teaches Spanish in California, was even told by some student that Spanish speaking people are insensitive when they call a black person a "negro". I hope she gave him an F.

Roberto,

I understand what you're saying and agree that PC has gotten out of hand.

I don't agree with what you sister-in- law's student said though. Spanish is my native language &
I was taught to respect others & have never used that term to identify someone who's skin
differs from mine.

Jjkind30, sorry for taking over this thread....
Have a wonderful Christmas in Florence or Rome!!!

Macy. If Spanish is your native language, then you should know that "negro" means black in Spanish. To say "a black man" you would say "un hombre negro". Therefore it is perfectly acceptable for a person speaking Spanish to refer to a black person as "negro" without being labeled insensitive simply because the word has a negative connotation in an English speaking country. People should be entitled to speak their language freely unhindered by foreign cultures who wish to ban words from the vocabulary of other countries in the name of some silly political correctness.

From this month's newspaper "El Pais":
"la policia en Arizona mata a otro negro desarmado"
(The police in Arizona killed another unarmed black man)

http://internacional.elpais.com/internacional/2014/12/05/actualidad/1417770433_746560.html

thats ok I am enjoying reading this, I asked AngelTours Rome if we will tour that area and they said for sure they wouldnt miss it on Christmas day
so maybe I can ad to this when Im home

Roberto,

I was taught to say; "un hombre moreno", ( a tan man)... don't ask me why, that's just what I was taught.

Yes, I know that "negro' means "black", but that's just a color to me & I don't refer to a person with that term.

My father's ancestors originated in Spain & they were very polite & proper.

Anyway, I think you have a good argument & I understand your point... and... I think Jjkind30 is not interested in us hijacking this thread.

¡Feliz Navidad Roberto & Jjkind30!

Roberto
I really thought it was interesting reading this thread, I am now done with our first few days in Rome and we even did a day trip to Florence. Thanks for your posts and help with info etc. We are totoally enjoying and relaxing here in Rome, our Christmas day tour was amazing we did our Vatican and Colisseum tour too so we are getting to know Rome although it is starting to get a bit cold.