VATICAN CITY -- Italians and tourists flocked to the official illumination of a very special Christmas tree in St. Peter’s square this week, adorned with baubles handmade by child cancer patients across the country. Hopes and wishes for the future are painted onto the clay decorations, joined by heart-warming stories presented on plaques around the festive feature.

 The 25-metre red spruce from the northern Italian region of Trentino stands tall next to a stunning nativity scene originating from Malta, paying homage to the ‘terremotati’ (victims of the recent earthquakes in central Italy) by the poignant addition of rubble and debri at the foot of the stable.

 As a Brit who has spent every Christmas so far back in England, I had recently found myself comparing the seasonal festivities here in Rome to those back home.

 The Eternal City has clearly mastered the art of a creating a refined, classy affair, setting a strict gold colour scheme for the street lights and staying true to historic tradition whenever possible.

 However, I had actually started to miss the tinsel and tackiness of the commercial, American-style Christmas we have adopted back in the U.K. I wanted celebrations in the Italian capital to be even bigger and better, with more fake snow and more Mariah Carey.

 With this in mind, I approached the Vatican tree with caution, praying for it to blow me away.

 Indeed, it did, but for an entirely different reason.

 Even from afar, strolling down Via della Conciliazione, the view of the tree in front of St. Peter’s Basilica is dazzling. But it is only on reaching closer that you realise each bauble hanging from the branches tells the story of a child receiving treatment for cancer or other illnesses in one of Italy’s children’s hospitals.

 Throughout 2016, around 5,000 children and teenagers joined with their families at ceramic workshops, provided by the Countess Lene Thun Foundation to paediatric oncology departments, to take part in inspiring art-therapy projects.

 The young patients were asked to create designs which symbolised their deepest desires for the future, hence giving the tree the name ‘L’albero dei desideri’ (The tree of wishes’).

 On a nearby plaque, the foundation had written, “Children made the ornaments of this magnificent tree while fighting their illnesses. This is a symbol of the dreams of all of Italy and of the entire world.”

 Surrounding the spectacle, the personal stories of some patients are displayed in various languages for visitors to stop a while and read:

 Chiara, aged seven, explains how she “wishes with all her heart to return home to a normal life and spend as much time as possible with her family,” whilst Georgia, 14, talks of how much she enjoys good food yet cannot eat so much due to her treatment, so dreams of “getting back to normality to taste all the things that she loves.”

 Michele, aged nine, wishes to tour around France on his bicycle and views his illness as “just a pit stop,” whilst Giulia, aged 12, dedicates her bauble to Pope Francis, dreaming of one day meeting the pontiff and asking him her own questions.

 Hence, leaving the twinkling square behind and walking back along the Tiber, I re-evaluated my previous verdict.

 It appears that if there is anywhere in the world where the ‘true spirit’ of Christmas is fully appreciated, it is the Vatican City. Maybe Rome does trump Blighty after all…

 For more information on the Countess Lene Thun Foundation, visit: www.fondazionelenethun.org

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