Christmas in Italy is a long festive season rich in traditions, stretching from early December to early January.
From north to south, towns and cities are decked out in red and green, with markets where you can find everything from traditional sweets, decorations and presents to Father Christmas, the Zampognari (traditional musicians from Italy who wander the streets playing Christmas carols during the festive season) and the Befana (a kind witch) who brings presents to children on the night of 5 January.
As Christmas is a festival for children (Bambini), the towns do not just set up stalls with decorations, but also organise games and fancy dress parades to fill the towns with magic.
There are two Christmas markets in Trento: one is in Piazza Fiera and the other in Piazza Mostra, in the historic centre of Trento. The markets welcome stallholders not only from Trentino but also from the Alto Adige region. There are around 80 wooden stalls in Piazza Fiera and Piazza Mostra, where you can find mainly local handicrafts, traditional culinary specialities and excellent wines to sample. At the Trento Christmas market, you can buy Christmas decorations, nativity scenes, candles and the most original gift ideas made from wood, glass or ceramics to give to your loved ones at Christmas. The highlight of the food stalls is the ‘Sapori del Mercatino’ gourmet corner, where you can sample exquisite specialities from Trentino and South Tyrol, such as potato tortel or Cevap from the Valle dei Mocheni.
The Christmas market in Bolzano is a unique sensory experience, with the scents of cinnamon, sweets and mulled wine, the vibrant colours of the wooden stalls and thousands of Christmas lights. The whole city is decked out for the festivities, with carols echoing through the streets and cheerful voices livening up the atmosphere.
The market, the first in Italy, not only fills Piazza Walther but also the adjacent Piazza Parrocchia and Piazza Duomo with colours, sounds and scents, where visitors can admire numerous original pieces of artistic craftsmanship. In Piazza Walther, the St Nicholas parade takes place on 5 December from 2.00 pm to 6.00 pm.
In Milan, there are several street markets; one of the most important is Oh Bej! Oh Bej!’, whose origins date back to 1288, established in honour of the patron saint, St Ambrose. The fair was originally held in Piazza dei Mercanti but in 1886 it was moved to the forecourt of the Basilica of St Ambrose, where it remained for 120 years until 2006, when it was relocated to the Castello Sforzesco area (Foro Bonaparte), where it is still held today. Another is the one in Piazza Duomo, between Corso Vittorio Emanuele II and Via Arcivescovile, where they sell traditional and innovative wreaths, tree decorations, nativity scenes and handmade statues in various materials, as well as all sorts of sweets. You can also sample traditional specialities from Italy’s various regions. 9.00 am – 9.00 pm.
“Villaggio delle Meraviglie” – the Village of Wonders, featuring an ice rink, street markets and attractions in the Porta Venezia Gardens.
Venice, the city of water, with St Mark’s Square, is lit up from dusk until midnight during the Christmas festivities.
In Venice, the arcades of the ‘piazza’ are adorned with illuminated garlands reminiscent of a cascade of snowflakes: the capital of the Veneto region.
The lights will be switched on from the Feast of Our Lady of Health on 21 November.
In Campo San Polo, an atmospheric ice-skating rink will open from 28 November. In Mestre, too, an ice-skating rink is being set up in Piazza Ferretto, which is the hub on the mainland, complete with wooden stalls and lights.
In Florence, from 28 November to 20 December, the traditional German Christmas market, the “Weihnachtsmarkt”, takes place in Piazza Santa Croce, featuring numerous stalls where you can find a wide variety of German decorations and food products such as strudel and sausages… as well as products from other European countries, including France, Czechoslovakia, the Netherlands, Austria and Greece.
In Rome, from 1 December to 6 January, Piazza Navona is home to the capital’s historic market, which is undoubtedly the most famous and iconic. This Baroque square, with its spectacular Fountain of the Four Rivers by Bernini and the historic churches surrounding it, is transformed into a fairytale setting during the festive season. The stalls offer a wide variety of Christmas decorations, handcrafted nativity scenes, traditional sweets and toys. The atmosphere becomes even more magical thanks to the presence of street performers, children’s attractions and live shows. Here, Father Christmas and the Befana make an appearance to the delight of the little ones, keeping alive one of the traditions most cherished by Roman families.
In St Peter’s Square (Vatican), the city’s main Christmas tree is erected: a majestic white fir some 25 metres tall, accompanied by an imposing handcrafted nativity scene. Furthermore, beneath Bernini’s colonnade, visitors can view the famous international exhibition of the ‘100 Presepi’ (100 Nativity Scenes) free of charge.
Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore: It houses the oldest surviving stone-carved nativity scene (dating from 1290) and preserves the historic wooden planks attributed to the original nativity scene in Bethlehem.
During this time of year, the streets and squares of Rome are filled with the Zampognari.
In Naples, the city of the ‘presepi’ (nativity scenes), along Via San Gregorio Armeno in Spaccanapoli, there are numerous stalls where you can buy everything from classic handcrafted terracotta figures to figures modelled on famous people from the worlds of politics, sport and film. A must-see is the Church of San Lorenzo Maggiore, where you’ll find the smallest nativity scenes, crafted inside a walnut shell.
From 28 November to 6 January, the National Railway Museum in Pietrarsa hosts a large Christmas market, a festive village with wooden stalls, shows and Father Christmas’s house.
Source: ENIT S. P. A.