Magical Season of Christmas in Northern Italy
The magical season of Christmas in Italy starts on December 8th (Immaculate Conception) and ends on January 6th (Ephiphany). Christmas in Italy is a wonderful time of festivities, where Italians spend time with family. Italians decorate city streets, churches, and squares with Christmas trees, festive lights, and famous nativity scenes. And the best part is that the Christmas season lasts an entire month giving you plenty of time to experience the seasonal magic!
Italy’s Christmas markets
Throughout November and December, towns big and small are home to outdoor markets during Christmas in Italy selling tempting treats like candied nuts, carved ornaments, and local toys. It’s one of the country’s most beloved Italian Christmas traditions. Christmas markets actually began as a German tradition before eventually spreading to the rest of Europe. The stalls also serve traditional Italian food typically enjoyed at Christmas, such as caldarroste (large roasted chestnuts) washed down with vin brulè (mulled wine).
- When: Some Christmas markets start as early as the last few days of November, but most are up and running by the first week of December and last 3 – 6 weeks.
- What to buy: Get your Christmas shopping done, and try local and traditional foods. You’ll find stands with vendors selling artisanal goods, tree decorations, and local specialties.
Here is a list of some of our favorite Christmas Markets in northern Italy:
- Trentino Alto Adige: This part of Italy has Italy’s best Christmas markets and travelers who want to experience the quintessential Christmas Market should visit the “Big Three”, in towns that are close to each other: Bolzano (the biggest in Italy on Piazza Walter), Trento (longest running in the area), and Merano. In addition, you could take advantage of being in the area to also visit Bressanone (our favotire) and Brunico. They too have magnificent Christmas markets with Christmas decorations that make them postcard perfect locations.
- Turin: Piazza Borgo Dora hosts food stands, merchant stalls, and a huge Christmas tree. Marvel as the entire city comes to life illuminated by the Luci d’Artista, a series of 19 open-air art installations that rival light displays anywhere. Wander the streets and try festive delicacies like agnolotti and risotto with radicchio and toma, a local cheese.
- Aosta’s Green Christmas Market is the most famous in the valley. Take a stroll among wooden houses in a fir forest. Visitors searching for suitable gifts can stroll through the village or simply admire the wooden objects, ceramics, handmade soap, candles, made by local craftsmen. Perhaps, buy a few ornaments at the fair, so you can reminisce upon happy memories for years to come.
- Milan, Oh Bej, which translates into how beautiful: is one of the longest-running Christmas markets in Milan. As the name itself suggests, it is also one of the most breathtaking markets during this special time of year. Dating back to the 1500’s, the Piazza del Castello market was originally a place for locals to pay homage to the city’s patron saint, Sant’Ambrogio. You’ll find a wide selection of Christmas items in their 300+ exhibitions and wooden stalls decorated with fairy lights, pinecones, and tinsel.
- Venice: The Venice Christmas market is smaller than some other cities, but it’s surrounded by some of the most magnificent decorations you’ll find in Italy. They are held in various squares called “campo”: Campo San Bartolomeo, Campo San Salvador, Campo San Luca, Campo Manin, Strada Nuova.
- Verona hosts a wonderful Christmas market in German tradition organized in partnership with the Christkindlmarkt of Nuremberg, Germany. The market takes place in Piazza dei Signori and spreads in other locations in the city, making November/December a special time to visit this romantic city!
- Trieste: With stalls and vendors spread across three different locations in the city centre, the Trieste Christmas Market is one of the most exciting parts of the festive calendar in Italy’s capital of coffee.
Nativity Scenes in Italy
A presepe (plural presepi and sometimes also called a presepio) is an Italian nativity scene, and is an important decoration that can be seen in every home from the 8th of December until the 6th of January. While a beautifully decorated Christmas tree is the main focus in many homes around the world at Christmas, in Italy the main focus is the presepio. Up until Saint Francis of Assisi set up the first nativity scene in 1223, people celebrated Christmas primarily by going to Mass where priests would tell the Christmas story in a language that most ordinary people didn’t speak: Latin. From the 15th century and throughout the Middle Ages, nativity scenes were painted by artists like Botticelli, Giotto, and Piero della Francesca and displayed in churches. Although there are presepe traditions from north to south in Italy, the city of Naples is still considered to be the most famous for the art of the presepe. This art reached its height in the 18th century, but the city still draws visitors from around the world to see its elaborate creations and figurines.
Here are some of our favorite nativity scenes in northern Italy:
- Verona: The 2,000-year-old Roman amphitheater, the Arena of Verona (which hosts an amazing opera festival in the summertime), displays hundreds of nativity scenes every year. It’s an international event, with works on loan from museums, private collections, and craftsmen. In addition, Piazza Bra, which is just outside the Arena, hosts a Christmas market.
- Ortisei and Sutrio: these small towns in the Alps (Dolomites) are famous for their woodworking, and many of the town’s artisans specialize in presepe.
- Cinque Terre: The town of Manarola decorates an entire hillside with a very unique nativity scene, and is particularly beautiful at night when lit up.
- Santa Cristina in Val Gardena: this Dolomites town has the world’s largest hand-carved nativity scene.
- Venice (Burano): these Venetian islands, famous for lace-making, have a presepe that emerges from the bottom of the Venice Lagoon.
- Lignano Sabbiadoro in Friuli: A historic event near the sea that for years has attracted tens of thousands of visitors from all over Europe to see the sand nativity scene, an artistic work in continuous experimentation and evolution that for 21 years has exalted and contained the meaning of Christmas and the birth of Jesus.
- Mechanical Presepe of Turin: historical presepe in the Church of Santa Annunziata, with over 200 figurines, many of which able to move to evoke traditional works and arts.
- Grado Friuli: several localities in Italy like Grado pay homage to their coastal locations with floating presepi.
Live nativity scenes: Living nativity scenes real people dress up in a setting. These living nativity scenes, presepi viventi in Italian, are essentially performances. Therefore they are usually on a very limited number of days, for just a few hours at a time.
Christmas Foods (a very small selection)
- Pandoro is a traditional Veronese sweet yeast star-shaped bread with a smooth consistency. It’s also typically dusted with powdered sugar. We usually eat Pandoro accompanied with a glass of Asti Spumante on New Year’s Eve.
- Panettone, originally from Milan, Panettone is a sweet and fluffy bread with raisins that signals the start of the holiday season. A must for Christmas in Italy! With a typical dome shape, panettone’s is enriched by candied fruit, orange peel and raisins. This is the original recipe for panettone, panettone candito. In the last twenty years, artisan workshops have created numerous variations.
- Torrone (nougat), the classic one is hard, made with honey and almonds, but there are many variants such as the soft version, which I prefer. In addition, you can find torrone made of milk chocolate and hazelnuts, dark chocolate torrone with hazelnuts, torrone made of gianduia chocolate and the classic torrone with pistachio.
Who is Babbo Natale?
Like many other holiday figures, Christian tradition blends with far older pagan celebrations. Italian children await him sometime during the night between December 24th and 25th, when he flies in from the North Pole with his elves and his reindeer. Babbo Natale is the Italian equivalent of Santa Claus in English-speaking countries. All these similar figures derive mainly from the same historical figure: St Nicholas, bishop of Myra (today Demre, a city in modern-day Turkey). It’s said St. Nicholas found and brought back to life three children who had been kidnapped and killed by an innkeeper, and from then on he was considered the Protector of Children. In parts of Italy (but also in the Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, Switzerland, Germany, the Czech Republic and Slovenia) he is still depicted as wearing bishop’s robes.
The visits to Santa’s grotto are just as popular in Italy as in other countries. You will often find him at a centro commerciale (shopping mall) or sitting on his sleigh in a village piazza. You’ll even see him in unique settings in the Italian landscape where he fits in perfectly.
Good To Know: Although Babbo Natale is important in Italy, there are some regions, that have different traditions. In northern Italy and some parts of the south, children look forward to December 6th, which is St. Nicholas Day (La Festa di San Nicola). Presents are received on the night the saint is celebrated.
Similarly, in northern Italy, children celebrate December 13th in honor of Santa Lucia (St. Lucy). Children usually write a letter addressed to the saint in which they say they’ve been good and deserve a present. To thank her, they leave a carrot for the donkey and a cup of coffee with bread and biscuits for the saint herself. In the city of Verona, the townspeople erect a huge Christmas market in honor of Santa Lucia.
Other Traditions that make an Italian Christmas special:
- In Italy, a variation of Bingo is a festive favourite, called Tombola, a game that’s especially popular for all the family coming together over the Christmas holidays. All you need are the cards, 90 numbered Tombolini and the Tabellone, which features the squares with all 90 numbers. The player who achieves Tombola – all of the numbers on the card – is the winner! It’s a simple, fun game that can be enjoyed by all ages.
- The Befana. Kids in Italy get a doubly good deal in the Christmas holidays. Having received a sackful of presents from Santa, at the time of Epiphany, they can expect another lot of goodies from the Befana. Who is the Befana? It’s said that she was an old lady who didn’t accompany those three wise Magi on their journey to Jesus. This housework-loving lady said that she would accompany the Magi once the work was completed. However, regretting her decision, she quickly ran after the Magi, bearing gifts – but alas, it was too late. The Magi were already well on their way to their destination. To make up for her decision, it is said that the Befana visits good children on Epiphany Eve, leaving special presents for kids who have been kind and generous.
Five tips for planning Christmas in Italy
- Most museums, monuments, and shops close on Christmas Day, December 25th. Many also close on Christmas Eve, December 24th. Some restaurants are open, but meals on these days require some advance planning.
- Christmas in Italy is magical but can be cold. Plan for chilly and humid weather in general. In the north, plan for snow and fog. In the south, plan for rain.
- Sunset in Italy in December is before 5 pm.
- In many places in Italy, December is low season, so travelers can get great rates. However, the week between Christmas and New Year’s is often considered to be high season.
- Winter in Italy is a special time of year, specialty foods are everywhere, operas and symphonies are running their programs, and there are fewer crowds. It’s a great opportunity for the traveler to participate in local traditions with Italians during a very important holiday.
Planning a trip to Italy for Christmas?
Christmas in Italy is unlike any other season. If you are thinking of visiting northern Italy at Christmas with your family and friends, schedule a call with Audrey for a magical visit in Italy.
