Today I celebrate on of my favorite Italian holidays, La Befana (the Christmas Witch)! It’s an ancient tradition that brings lots of sweets to those who’ve been good over the past year, and coal to those who’ve gotten into little mischief. If you’re part of my community, you definitely deserve plenty of sweets - because I know you don’t put cream in your carbonara… right??!! 🧙‍♀️ | The Pasta Queen

The Befana is one of the most beloved traditions in Italy: a cheerful old lady who flies on a broomstick and, on the night between January 5 and 6, visits homes to leave sweets and small gifts for “good” children and a bit of coal (often made of sugar!) for the mischievous ones. It’s a celebration filled with magic, but also with simple messages: remembering others, closing the festivities with joy, and starting the new year with energy. The reason the Befana “comes” on January 6 is linked to an