ITALY is surely a nice place to visit either in Halloween or during the Christmas season. Because it is an all-Catholic country, expect Italy to have four holidays this weekend – All Saints Day on November 1, All Souls Day on November 2 and of course the next two succeeding days fall on a Saturday and a Sunday, the nominal holidays of the Gregorian calendar in the Western world.

Because of these extended holidays, Italians celebrate ahead on the night of October 31. We know of course that this is the season of Halloween. It is when the children do their treat-or-trick. But adults too enjoy this night as a party of all parties ending the Oktobeerfest or the month-long beer festival. Although Italy has been known to its wine, it has its own version of Oktobeerfest which it has acquired from Germany.

Thus, Halloween here in Italy doubles as a culmination of Oktobeerfest. For the religious, it is also a culmination of another sort – the Rosary Month. During the day, dozens of rosary-shaped balloons are flown over each city and a special prize awaits the person who can retrieve a certain balloon. Prizes vary from having a night of stay at one of Milan’s posh hotels to a trip around the great Venetian canal.

Also during Halloween, elaborate spooky costumes are found in the city of fashion, Milan, these are converted into wacky designs for a great fashion show. It is the middle of winter fashion week here in Milan and everybody is eager to see some Halloween kind of party – especially a lingerie-filled fashion show. They do this usually on the evening of October 31 with lots of house music and tequila.

The day after, November 1, is All Saints Day and everyone goes to the cemeteries to pay respects to their deceased loved ones. They usually offer food before the foot of their graves so it is not surprising to see tiramisu being left behind by the relatives of the dead.

Of course, you can’t come here in Italy unprepared and by the time you’re reading this post, it may probably be November 7, 2007 already so it may be high time for you to start reserving your holiday trips to Italy for the Christmas season instead. During this season, the most serene places to go to are the Vatican City and Venice. Vatican City is the headquarters of Catholicism and what better way to spend the holidays than to see Pope Benedict XVI deliver his homily at St. Peter’s Square during Christmas Eve. Meanwhile, Venice is one beautiful city to visit during the holiday season as it is lighted up with all Christmas lights you can think of.

Or else visit Venice during New Year and savor the fireworks at the Venetian Canal. Venice is really a nice city you know. This is the only city in the world that sits on top of a lagoon and this is also the only pedestrian city on earth. So what are you waiting for? Reserve your flight and hotel stays in Italy now.