December’s La Freccia is back on board with Monica Bellucci

After a 20-month absence, La Freccia magazine returns aboard Frecciarossa trains. It returns with the face of Monica Bellucci – the Italian star known around the world – on the cover of an issue dedicated largely to the Christmas holidays and to the yearning to look at the coming year with a cautious but reasonable optimism. The actress, after having played Maria Callas in the theatre and Anita Ekberg in the cinema, returns to the big screen with La Befana Vien di Notte 2 – Le Origini, a fantasy film with Fabio De Luigi, Corrado Guzzanti and Alessandro Haber.

A wholeheartedly Christmas theme is the showcase that La Freccia dedicates to a selection of solidarity initiatives and ethical gifts, entirely Made in Italy. In the foreground are donations to the Bambino Gesù Foundation, involving the FS Italiane Group and its employees, in support of the Children’s Palliative Care Centre in Passoscuro along the Roman coast, which is scheduled to open next January. Mariella Enoc, President of the paediatric hospital, speaks to La Freccia readers about this and the many activities of the Bambino Gesù.

Solidarity is also offering a second chance to people and to things, being the goal of the Made in Carcere project, the social brand of the non-profit organisation Officina, awarded by Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane for the production of popular gadgets and objects for travel, created by inmates with recycled fabrics and materials.

We talk about Christmas in the new column Buon viaggio brava gente (Bon Voyage Good People) edited by the Franciscan Father Enzo Fortunato, who accompanies readers on a discovery of the places associated with the tradition of the nativity scene, from Betlemme to Scala, passing through Greccio.

Then there are the many ideas for travelling on the snow. In Trentino-Alto Adige, from Trento to Merano with a stop in Bolzano, discover cities rich in art, nature and good food. In Val Gardena, there is the Ski World Cup, whilst in the Dolomites of Veneto, Cortina d’Ampezzo is preparing for the 2026 Winter Olympic Games.

Then there are the many dates with art. There is David LaChapelle in Naples, Keith Haring in Pisa and Steve McCurry close to Turin. This is without forgetting the itinerary amongst the historical libraries of Italy and amidst the museums that offer child-friendly events to learn whilst having fun.

In addition is the journey through the excellence of know-how on display at the Italian Pavilion of Expo 2020 Dubai, which continues thanks to the films of Gabriele Salvatores – from Guido Gobino’s working of chocolate in Turin to the precious love jewels of the Oreficeria Di Rienzo in Scanno, along with one of the oldest pasta families in Gragnano, today managed by Amelia Cuomo, recipient of the GammaDonna award for female entrepreneurship.