Arrive early for Firewords at Via dei Fori Imperiali
Given how much Italians love to celebrate it’s hardly surprising that New Year’s Eve festivities start early in Rome. December 31st is known as La Festa di San Silvestro and celebrations during the day will center around Chisea San Silvestro, a relatively small chapel that is largely forgotten for the rest of the year (although it’s worth a visit for the ceiling alone).
Although it’s technically a religious celebration, La Festa di San Silvestro is most memorable for its food. Families gather on New Year’s Eve for a big dinner featuring lentils, a spicy sausage called cotechino and a third dish called zampone, known to you and me as stuffed pig’s trotters, all washed down with a glass or two of wine. The dinner is as much about superstition as celebration, with every element symbolising some aspect of good fortune in the new year. Then again, it’s also a really good excuse to spend time with family and drink wine.
Zampone and lentils for good luck and good health
Since the weather in Rome is so warm, even during the winter months when temperatures rarely drop below 5°c (positively balmy by Western European standards), most New Year’s celebrations take place outdoors. Piazza del Popolo is a popular spot among people of all ages, with song and dance performances, a huge fire display and a lively countdown to 12. A similar but smaller celebration takes place nearby on Via dei Fori Imperiali starting at 10PM and a quieter, more reserved affair centering around classical music will be happening in front of the Presidential Palace, aka the Quirinale from 11PM. All of these will be popular so I recommend that you wrap up warm in your beer jacket and show up early enough to get a spot for the night.
Anyone looking for a quieter evening won’t be at a loss on New Year’s Eve in Rome either. Lots of Rome restaurants will be hosting (usually expensive) set price events where the cost of dinner includes live entertainment, a countdown and often a free drink at midnight. Ask at your hotel for recommendations or check out Metamorfosi for music and San Silvestro lentils. Besides from the traditional San Silvestro dishes you’ll find that a lot of restaurants are serving mostly fish dishes. As with Christmas Eve, fish is a popular New Year’s Eve option.
The New Year's parade is a great way to start 2012
Before you open that third bottle of wine though, remember that New Year’s Day is a pretty exciting event in Rome too. The annual Pope’s address at midday in St. Peter’s Square is one of the year’s most anticipated events so you’ll have to get up early to get a space there. Even if you aren’t particularly religious it’s well worth going along to feel the electricity in the air and for the parade afterwards. If you slept through and woke up too late to get into St. Peter’s Square (which, by the way is a ticketless affair with access granted on a first-come-first-served basis) go instead to Via della Conciliazione which is along the parade route.