La Befana Celebration at Piazza Navona By Allison Pinski

According to folk stories, La Befana (the good witch) delivers candy and small toys to children on Epiphany Eve, which is January 5th. The following day, January 6th, brings the end of the Christmas celebrations in Italy. I was fortunate enough to experience some of the festivities for Epiphany Day (also called “Three Kings Day”) in Rome. If you’re interested in learning about Three King’s Day, you can read this article by the Huffington Post.

In the Piazza Navona, a public square built during the 1st century AD, features the Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi, Fontana del Moro, and the Fountain of Neptune. During the celebration of La Befana (which you can read about here if you’re interested), children played on a carousal, bought colorful balloons, watched street performers, and got their faces painted by a Befana, all while enjoying the beauty of the piazza.

I visited the celebration with my roommate, and while we arrived too late to see the parade and the majority of the festivities, it was fun to see everyone celebrating. The fountains were beautiful (just like the rest of Rome’s architecture), and the sky was crystal clear (if only for a few moments, since it rains often in Rome). Visiting the Piazza Navona was well-worth the tram ride and city navigation.