THE most compelling country to spend Christmas is in Italy. Italy is after all host to the Vatican, the smallest state in the world and the headquarters of Catholicism, which is the premier, Christian faith. So if you’re Catholic and you’ve just been given a two-week off from work, spend it in Italy. It is all the better if you are allowed by your employers to choose which country you want to spend Christmas with your family. Or if you’re single and a bachelorette, then have a gay time shopping in Milan as long as you have the guts and the money.

But for those who cannot afford the luxury lifestyle, there are still lots of vacation deals available in Italy this winter. You may want to stay along the Mediterranean coasts because it’s very warm in there even in winter. The temperature will not go low beyond -3 degrees Celsius unlike those in the Alps. Also in the Mediterranean area, you can enjoy very nutritious dishes indeed cook in only the best Italian way possible. There’s pasta and spaghetti deliciously relished with olive oil, the healthiest cooking oil in the world because of its low fat content. There is also the much seafood available in this area caught from the Mediterranean day after day after day. All you need to do is wait for the queue along the fishing villages’ coast and get in line once the fishermen start to come back from their catch of the day. You can then purchase at the cheapest price redfish, grouper, mussels, lobsters, shrimps and crabs and cook them at the vacation home that you’ve stayed all by yourself. Remember to cook them while they’re fresh enough. Or maybe you can grill them and organize a Christmas Eve middle-of-the-night dinner all with Mediterranean seafood as the menu. You can invite newly-found Italian friends if you want to then sip wine coming from Tuscany.

Vacation homes in winter are the same ones in summer as far as the Mediterranean regions in Italy are concerned. But the nice thing about these vacation homes is that they are fully-equipped with heaters and fireplaces. When you scout for vacation homes, you don’t need to scout them as they are. You just need to reserve online. Just log in to the websites of the most reputable travel agencies in the world like Expedia or Travelocity and you can immediately know which vacation home deals you want.

If you come from the United States or any place across the Atlantic, you need to get a visa first before going to Italy. But this is certainly not a problem as long as you have the proper documents in tow. And one more thing, since it is winter here, you need to stuff yourself with layers and layers of clothes once you’re here. But you need not bring them in your plane trip because there are lots of discount shops here which you can bring back to the United States afterwards.