Where to Go for the Holidays

Christmastime may be damp and foggy, but with the hordes long gone, service is relaxed and friendly, and, at night, you may have the moonlit Piazza San Marco all to yourself.

WHERE TO STAY The Palazzo Vendramin and the Palazzetto, two opulent annexes of the otherwise-closed Hotel Cipriani, are available during the holidays, and the staff is sure to fuss over you. For a more intimate experience, consider Ca' Pisani, a boutique hotel with a vaguely futuristic look. MANGIA Italians have their big feast on the 24th. At Do Forni, indulge in spider crab tortelloni with lobster sauce or saddle of lamb stuffed with Alba white truffles. On Christmas Day, many family-run places close, so stick with the hotels. De Pisis at the Hotel Bauet riffs on traditional fare: capon stuffed with chestnuts and black truffles and a panettone soufflé. REASON FOR THE SEASON The midnight Mass at Basilica di San Marco is standing-room only, so arrive by 11 p.m. As worshippers file in, a choir and candles set the mood; at the stroke of midnight, the music swells and the lights come on, illuminating the ceiling's stunning 13th- and 14th-century gold mosaics. SHOP TILL YOU DROP Sift through piles of antique glass beads at Anticlea Antiquariato behind the San Marco cathedral—the shop also carries old Murano chandeliers and vintage jewelry. Around the corner, Ca' del Sol has a wide selection of handcrafted masks for New Year's balls, from simple and jokey to exquisitely beaded and feathered.
—Peter J. Frank

Last year, more than 95 million Americans went to the movies in November and December. Here, five cinemas screening great holiday flicks.

Richmond, Va. Relive the early days of the silver screen in November with Wings (1927), the first movie to win the Academy Award for Best Picture. On December 24, the Byrd Theatre celebrates its 75th anniversary with It's a Wonderful Life (2908 West Cary St.; 804/353-9911).

Baltimore, Md. Bring at least $3 worth of canned goods to the Maryland Food Bank benefit, in early December, at the Senator Theatre—John Waters's childhood cinema—and you'll get in to see A Christmas Carol and It's a Wonderful Life, playing throughout the day (5904 York Rd.; 410/435-8338).

Chicago Between December 19 and 24, moviegoers come dressed as Christmas trees and reindeer for a double bill of It's a Wonderful Life and White Christmas with Bing Crosby (Music Box Theatre, 3733 N. Southport Ave.; 773/871-6604).

San Francisco Need a break from angels getting their wings?On December 25, the Castro Theatre begins a one-week run of Modern Times, Charlie Chaplin's last silent picture from 1936 (429 Castro St., San Francisco; 415/621-6120).

Hollywood The last remaining silent cinema in North America plays only one talkie a year: It's a Wonderful Life (of course), on December 26 and 27. A giant 1920's-style affair with films starring Buster Keaton and Clara Bow is held on New Year's Eve (Silent Movie Theatre, 611 N. Fairfax Ave.; 323/655-2520).
—Jaime Gross

Times Square?Been there, done that. Resolve to celebrate differently with these novel year-end parties.

Philadelphia At the century-old Mummers Day Parade, some 25,000 clowns and musicians—bedecked in delightfully gaudy, glittering costumes—march for hours through downtown Philly on New Year's Day.

Salvador, Bahia, Brazil During reveillon, Bahianos gather on the beaches of Salvador to honor Iemanjá, the goddess of water in the Afro-Brazilian religion candomblé. There's drumming and dancing all night; at midnight, revelers hop over seven waves for good luck in the coming year.

Edinburgh Hogmanay (the Scottish New Year) is celebrated throughout the country, but the biggest festival is in Edinburgh, where 100,000 people pack the streets. The fearless scare away their hangovers the next morning with a plunge into the icy waters of the Firth of Forth, an estuary eight miles east of the city.

Kyoto, Japan Ring in the New Year—literally. At midnight on December 31, many of the city's 1,600 temples light bonfires and toll copper bells 108 times (in Buddhist belief, the number of human sins).

Sydney Be among the first in the world to see 2004. More than a million people head to the harbor for a fireworks display over and around the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
—J.G.