Christmas shopping in Rome

I was in Rome yesterday. By the time, I finished my work, it was already dark and I still had an hour for my train. I decided to use that hour by going to Piazza Navona, the Navona square. Rome is full of beautiful squares but this is perhaps the most beautiful of them all. Shaped like a big boat (Navona literally means a big boat), the square has beautiful fountains, and during the day artists, musicians and tourists throng it, so it is difficult to walk around.


Last night was different, because of the christmas shops. Rows of cheerful, brightly lit, colourful shops.

I was so busy going around and looking at the shops that I almost missed my train. While rushing back towards the metro station, I couldn't resist taking this picture at the Bartolucci workshop, with the craftsman working on wooden handicrafts and the Pinocchios with their long noses keeping him company. He could have just stepped out of the fable, into the dark, narrow, cobbled street.