Children Markets – Befana Toy Fair, Rome

This year, between 8th December 2010 – 6th January 2011, children in Europe and not only can go to an extraordinary wonderland, specially designed for them – Befana Toy Fair in Rome, Italy. Befana Toy Fair takes place anually in Piazza Nova, in a setting full of lights celebrating the legend with the same name. La Befana is an old woman who rides through Italy on a broomstick the night before Epiphany delivering toys to the good children and coal to the naughty. La Befana is a very expected to come visitor every year, especially by the little ones. The legend says that three man in search of the Christ child knocked on the door of La Befana in order to get directions to find him.

Unfortunately, she didn’t know where the Christ child was and she was invited to accompany them in their search. She rejected the invitation but later she regretted having done that. Then she went in search of them but she couldn’t find them anymore, so she started offering candies and little toys to children in the streets in the hope of finding the Christ child among them. La Befana Toy Fair in Rome is a wonderful place, full of stalls, brightly lighted with very tasty sweets, attractive toys and games for children. You can also find chunks of black sugar there, which resemle coal. There you can also find certain stalls where letters for La Befana are left. However, it is not very advisable to come with little children to Rome in this time of the year, especially if they are under seven because loose cobblestones, bicycles, traffic make it difficult for for pushing carriages or strollers. Moreover, hygiene for little children is highly important and diaper-changing cannot be performed everywhere it should. It is better to search for accommodation in the old part of the city, which is relatively at equal distance from every point of interest. This way you can avoid traffic and crowded places more easily.