Joe Torre, manager of the New York Yankee baseball team carried the Torino 2006 Olympic torch in Florence, Italy.  Torre carried the torch 400 yards to the foot of the Ponte Vecchio as part of “American Day”. 

Torre received the torch from Brandon Routh, a native of Iowa and star of the soon to be released “Superman Returns” movie.  Torre’s segment of the 2006 Olympic torch relay ended at the foot of the Ponte Vecchio bridge.

Cheers of “we love you Joe” were shouted along his route.  “It was dynamite,” Torre said.  “I wasn’t sure if I was going to make it, but it was really great.”

The Italian equivalent of Santa Claus is Babo Natale, however, the true giver of gifts in Italy is La Befana. La Befana is an old crone who delivers gifts to deserving girls and boys on Epiphany.

The Befana is a Christmas witch that comes 12 days after Christmas on January 6. January 6 is Epiphany and is a celebration of the visit by the three wise men to the baby Jesus. La Befana is derived from Epifania, the Italian for Epiphany.

In the distant past the people of Italy thought La Befana was evil. They rang clay bells and made noise to keep her away. Now she is viewed as a gentle spirit that will give gifts to the children of Italy.

According to the Italian legend, La Befana lived on the road the three wise men took on their journey to visit the baby Jesus. The three wise men on camels loaded down with gifts, approached La Befana’s house as she was busy working. They stopped to ask directions to Bethlehem and to ask if she could provide them with food and shelter for the night to see if she might join them on their journey. La Befana was too busy to talk to the wise men. Later she changed her mind and decided she should have gone with the wise men.

The FDA (the government agency that regulates food in the US) has confirmed the health benefits of olive oil. The FDA now allows olive oil producers to claim that it may reduce the risk of coronary artery disease. The statement allowed is as follows: Limited and not conclusive scientific evidence suggests that eating about 2 tablespoons (23 grams) of olive oil daily may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease due to the monounsaturated fat in olive oil. To achieve this possible benefit, olive oil is to replace a similar amount of saturated fat and not increase the total number of calories you eat in a day. One serving of this product [Name of food] contains [x] grams of olive oil.

In other olive oil news, new research claims to explain the health benefits of extra virgin olive oil. The results of a nine-year study of Italians living in Puglia showed that long time residents were statistically less prone to cancer and other ailments. This has been attributed to the high consumption of olive oil throughout their lives.

Nativity scenes are very popular in Italy and are generally found in every household. The nativity originated in Italy in the 1200's when St. Francis of Assisi asked Giovanni Vellita from the village of Greccio to create a manger scene. St. Francis then performed Christmas mass in front of this nativity scene.

The nativity scene that most Americans think of consists of about ten characters Mary, Joseph, the baby Jesus, the three wise men, a shepherd and a few animals. In Italy the nativity is called a presepio (manger scene). The presepio contains large numbers of biblical characters, angels, animals and people from every day life.

During the 17th and 18th century Naples turned the nativity into an art form. The presepi included the nativity scene but also represented life in Naples at the time. Today many artisans are still dedicated to the craft of creating hand made figures for presepi.

The Torino 2006 Olympic torch left Greece after a 10 day stay. It arrived in Italy on December 7. Valentino Castellani, the Torino Olympic Organizing chief accompanied the torch from Greece to Italy aboard a military transport plane.

Mr. Castellani will hand the torch to Italian President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi on December 8. Mr. Ciampi will then hand the torch to last year's Olympic marathon champion, Italian Stefano Baldini. Rome and Italy soccer star Francesco Totti and his cross-city rival Paolo Di Canio of Lazio will be the first two torch bearers.

Other torch bearers will include singer Gianni Morandi, former soccer star Gianfranco Zola, former athlete Sara Simeoni, fashion designer Giorgio Armani and gymnast Igor Cassina. In all, ten thousand and one people will carry the lit Torino 2006 Olympic torch during the Torino 2006 Olympic Torch Relay.

Christmas in Italy is filled with music, celebrations, food and an appreciation of the religious significance of the holiday. The Italian Christmas is not as commercial as Christmas in the US. Americans are often disappointed with the understated and traditional celebrations in Italy.

The Italian Christmas season generally lasts three weeks beginning with the Novena, the eight days before Christmas. This is a period of celebration when music fills the air. Young musicians go around playing their musical instruments, singing Christmas Carols and reciting Christmas poems. Preparations for the Christmas holiday are begun in earnest by families during the Novena.

One of the more unusual sounds of Christmas in Italy is the sound of bagpipes. The zampognari (shepherds who play the bagpipes) come from their homes to perform in the market squares in Calabria, Abruzzo and Rome.