Santa Claus Descends from the Sky to Florence

Recognizable by his red suit, beard and bag full of gifts, Santa Claus (in Italian: Babbo Natale) and his helper elves have decided to bypass Florence chimneys in favor of descending down from the 311 ft (95 meters) of Palazzo Vecchio’s Arnolfo Tower at 3 pm on Sunday, December 22.  Once in Piazza Signoria, Santa and the elves will distribute sweets and small gifts to kids in a Christmas preview.

This initiative entitled “Auguri dall’alto,” is a sort of living Christmas card gifted by the City of Florence. The municipality organized the event together with the technicians di EdiliziAcrobatica, who are specialized in renovation of historic buildings (where, no doubt, acrobatics are sometimes required) and the merchant’s association Confcommercio.  (rosanna cirigliano)