The Christmas trees of Rome

Susan Spano’s Postcards From Rome

[Related photos: Christmas trees around the world]

It’s believed that the Christmas tree tradition came originally from pre-Christian Germany.

Regardless, they’ve definitely caught on in Rome where there seems to be a massive tree in every piazza.

Check out our photo gallery to see the one in front of Trajan’s Column in the Imperial Forums; the Pincio tree overlooking the Piazza del Popolo; and the stylish Spanish Steps Christmas tree which you can see all the way down Via Condotti.

Near the Spanish Steps in the Piazza Mignanelli is a pillar topped by a statue of the Virgin Mary.

Every year on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception (Dec. 8) it is decorated with a wreath and flowers. The pope pays tribute to the Virgin statue there, and people flock into the city to pay their respects in much the same way New Yorkers go to see the tree in Rockefeller Center.

The biggest tree in Rome (above) stands in the middle of the Piazza of St. Peter’s next to the Egyptian obelisk placed there in 1586. This year’s tree is a massive spruce from Austria.

– Susan Spano, Los Angeles Times staff writer

[Photo: Susan Spano / Los Angeles Times]

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This entry was posted on Monday, December 22, 2008 at 11:52 am by Susan Spano and is filed under Europe, Italy. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.