A Holiday Stroll Around Alessandria...

Remember those wooden shelters that we were wondering about a couple posts ago? Well, they are booths for holiday crafts and just add more to the overall holiday celebration here.

Many booths have little nativity scenes in all shapes and sizes.

These are little gnomes with a story attached that we could not quite understand.

People are out in droves doing their shopping and the atmosphere, day or night. is very festive. In the middle of this same piazza, there is a statue of a famous Alessandrian. Today, he has disappeared and this is in his place, covering him:

There are three or four huge trees stuck into what is a huge pile of sand with a wooden fence built around it all. As we examined the set up, we concluded that it is not a live tree exhibit and those huge beauties will go the way of many Christmas trees...

But, on the live tree front, throughout the shopping areas there are live trees decorating the outside of stores. Many have red ribbons that shopkeepers give out and as people leave the shop, they put the ribbons on the tree. Some trees are full of ribbons, some have none.

As we continued our stroll toward home we spotted this clever sight outside someone's apartment.