Christmas in Rome

If you're spending Christmas in Rome for the first time and wondering about things to do, here's our top ten activities which combine the magic of Rome with real Christmas traditions in Italy.

1. Top priority - Christmas in Rome just wouldn't be complete without the amazing experience of the Christmas market in the Piazza Navona. There are stalls selling all shapes and sizes of 'presepi' - the nativity figures you'll see everywhere in Italy at Christmas, stalls selling Christmas ornaments, models of the Italian 'befana'' who brings the children's gifts on January 6th, stalls selling nothing to do with Christmas at all, and some old-fashioned 'knock the cans off the shelf' type stalls. Not to mention a carousel, street performers and balloon sellers. Wonderful!

(Where: Piazza Navona, from 6 December until 6 January each year).

2. Admire the beautiful - and huge - Christmas trees tastefully decorated which are at all the main sites. Against the beautiful blue of a Roman sky in December they are majestic and in the dark of the evening sky they're magical.

(Various places - the best are St Peter's Square, the Colosseum and the Piazza Venezia).

3. Watch 'presepi' being built: nativity scenes are one of the major Christmas traditions in Italy, but Rome's are works of art and aren't finished before Christmas week. However, if you have to leave the city before that, one of the most interesting activities in Rome is to watch the huge nativity scene inside St Peter's basilica being built. The outside nativity, which is the biggest in Rome, is screened off until it's completed. It's wonderful to watch the craftsmen at work building not just a stable scene but a complete village.

(Where: St Peter's Basilica).

4. See finished presepi: the life-sized nativity scenes in every church and in key public places in Rome are a key part of Christmas traditions in Italy. Don't be surprised not to see the baby in the manger - he's always placed there at midnight mass on Christmas Eve.

(Where: St Peter's Square, Piazza Navona, Spanish Steps, and any church).

5. Talking of which, midnight mass at any Italian church is worth attending but in St Peter's Basilica is a particularly special event as it's celebrated by the Pope. Inside the Basilica it's strictly tickets only, but there are big screens on St Peter's Square where thousands of people gather.

(Where: St Peter's Square, from 11p.m., Christmas Eve each year).

6. See the presepi exhibition: this houses nativity scenes from all over the world as well as from the different regions of Italy. It's interesting to see how different cultures make the figures in their own image - and interesting to see the materials used which include pasta and rice as well as the more usual plaster and wood.

(Where: Sala del Bramante, Piazza del Popolo, from early December to 6 January each year. Admission charge - EUR5.50 in 2009 - 2010).

7. Escape turkey - eat Italian! Turkey is not part of Christmas traditions in Italy. Family meals on Christmas Eve are always fish-based and on Christmas Day will be lots of different types of meat - lamb, chicken, beef - but no turkey!

8. Pope's blessing: the Pope gives his traditional blessing from the balcony overlooking St Peter's Square at mid-day. It's one of the highlights of Christmas in Rome and televised all over the world.

(Where: St Peter's Square, mid-day, Christmas Day).

9. Wander round the city: you'll find shops and most bars and restaurants are closed on Christmas Day, but you can still find lots of things to do in Rome. It's a wonderful time to wander round the city in peace and see some of the usually crowded sites with very few people to bother you.

(Where: try the Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, the Colosseum, St Peter's Basilica, and walk off all that food in the beautiful Borghese Park).

10. And finally, when Christmas in Rome is all over, hang around till New Year's Eve and spend it in the Piazza del Popolo. It's the place to be to celebrate New Year in Rome, the equivalent of London's Trafalgar Square, or Times Square in New York. There's plenty of singing, dancing and fireworks at midnight.

(Where: Piazza del Popolo, New Year's Eve from any time after dark!).

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What Causes a Cloudy Fish Tank and What Can You Do About It?

One question that often baffles, even experienced, aquarists is what causes a cloudy fish tank? The answer is not entirely straight forward as, depending on when your fish tank turns cloudy and what colour it turns, there may be different reasons for it happening.

Let's start with a new tank and move forward through the tanks life cycle.

When a tank is first set up the water may well seem cloudy straight away. This can simply be caused by minute air bubbles being suspended in the water and will disappear after a few hours. Leave the tank overnight and it should clear.

A new tank has yet to complete the nitrogen cycle so is unable to deal with the waste produced by your fish. As the nitrogen cycle gets under way you may find the water turning milky. This is usually a sign that the bacterial stage of the nitrogen cycle is underway. Bacteria have started to multiply so quickly that they can cloud the water giving it the milky appearance. Although unsightly this will pass as the nitrogen cycle completes and settles down. Partial water changes of 10-15% will help to reduce this. Be careful not to over-feed any fish that you have as this can add to the problem.

If the tank is so new that you have not yet added fish or started to cycle the tank, cloudiness may be due to an ornament reacting with the water. Are all your ornaments aquarium friendly and were they all rinsed thoroughly before setting up the tank. If one of your ornaments is dissolving, then it needs to be removed and a large water change also needs to be done.

If you have added bogwood to the tank, this may leech a yellowy brown stain into the water. This will settle down with time and water changes and is harmless. The wood is simply adding tannin to the water. Giving the wood a good scrub in clean water can help to prevent this. As the wood ages and starts to grow its own covering the tannin problems will stop. Water changes will gradually get rid of this dis-colouration.

There are a few things that you can do to help keep all forms of cloudiness at bay.

Avoid over-feeding your fish. Feed enough so that the fish can consume everything in about two minutes. More than this and you will end up with excess waste in the water which can cause cloudy water. Keep the gravel clean. Use water changes to vacuum up any food or waste debris on a regular basis. Use bottom feeding fish, shrimps and snails to clean up leftover food. Do not overpopulate your tank. Think about the inch to a gallon rule but be sensible about it. An inch of Neon Tetra is a lot less than an inch of Guppy. Also remember the snail population. This can quickly expand and they produce waste in exactly the same way as fish. An occasional cull may be needed.

Rather than doing large water changes stick to frequent smaller water changes. Change half of your water in one go and you can upset the natural balance of the tank leading to a bacterial bloom as the cycle re-established itself. Most causes of cloudy water can be solved with time and a good maintenance routine. Regular water changes will solve most water quality problems