Christmas In Italy

One of the most memorable times of the year is Christmas in Italy. Not just for Italians but also both visitors and foreigners. We’ll tell you how Christmas is celebrated in Italy, what occurs throughout the advent season, and why Christmas isn’t called Christmas without Christmas markets. 

How Is Christmas Celebrated In Italy?

Happy New Year! Happy Holidays! A Christmas in Italy is a pleasant and happy occasion filled with delicious cuisine, folklore, and family. The Christmas and New Year’s celebrations in Italy are distinctive, colorful, and enchanted, from the Feast of the Seven Fishes on Christmas Eve at La Vigilia to the appearance of the witch La Befana on her broomstick on January 6.

In Italy, food is more important than present and ostentatious expenditure. The elaborate decorations you would associate with Christmas in the UK, and the US are less frequent in Italy, despite the fact that Christmas trees can be found in certain Italian houses and piazzas. Instead, traditional Catholic celebrations and gatherings with friends and family to eat are the focal points of the Italian holiday season.

In Italy, the holiday season seems a little different. First, The Day of The Immaculate Conception, December 8, marks the commencement of Christmas in Italy. On this day, Christmas markets open up throughout Italy, and the town squares are decorated with glistening lights and the occasional Christmas tree. 

The distinctive conical trulli of Alberobello, a charming Puglian village, is lit with bright lights, stars, and half moons. As part of the town’s Light Festival, Christmas symbols and snow crystals are projected onto the trulli roofs, creating a magnificent ambience. Visit one of our Puglia villas or spend Christmas at the stunning Villa Eterea, only 20 minutes from Alberobello, to experience the season’s beauty personally.

What Is The Advent Season In Italy?

Italy is renowned for its rich, heartfelt family customs that revolve around delectable cuisine. It seems sensible that the advent season is centred around food and relationships for the Italians. There will be numerous celebrations of this Christian festival in Rome, where the Vatican is located.

In Italy, the advent season lasts a little longer; it starts on December 6 with the Feast of St. Nicholas and ends with the Feast of the Epiphany in early January. The Italian Catholic Church views Advent as more of a preparation for the second coming than a celebration of the first.

While advent customs in Italian homes have become more prevalent over time, the majority of them revolve around religious rituals. Children from rural Italian areas have been known to walk door to door, reciting scripture, poetry, or melodies for money during the novena nine days before Christmas.

What Is Saint Nicholas Day in Italy?

The annual celebration of St. Nicholas Day honours Saint Nicholas of Myra, the man who served as the model for Santa Claus as we know him today. The Feast of Saint Nicholas is another name for it. Small presents are typically given on St. Nicholas Day, frequently in shoes that kids put outside the night before. (This gives it a fantastic opportunity to surprise the family a few weeks early with some cheap Christmas presents!)

Nicholas of Myra, a bishop who lived in the fourth century and is now known as St. Nicholas, was made a saint after his passing. Although very little is known about St. Nicholas’ life, tales of his kindness and dedication to the underprivileged inspired the modern Santa Claus (also known as Old “Saint Nick”). The legend of Santa Clause bringing gifts on Christmas Eve is based explicitly on a tale about St. Nicholas sending riches for three daughters whose father could not pay a dowry.

St. Nicholas, who spent his entire life helping the poor and those in need, is the patron saint of sailors, travellers, clergy, children in schools, and thieves. Some legends surrounding St. Nicholas claim that he often sold his goods and donated the proceeds to the needy.

By exchanging presents and pleasantly surprising loved ones with small unexpected gestures of care, St. Nicholas Day celebrations provide an opportunity to think about the spirit of caring for others.

Children typically put their shoes out in the foyer or by the fireplace on St. Nicholas Day in the hopes that St. Nicholas would give them a small gift. This originated from the custom of drying one’s shoes by the fireplace overnight in order to discover them stuffed with presents, cash, or witty messages on St. Nicholas Day.

Other additional customary methods to observe St. Nicholas Day might be modernized.

One remarkable aspect of the holidays is the excitement of developing your unique family traditions in the run-up to Christmas, Kwanzaa, or Hanukkah. By giving St. Nicholas Day your spin, you may offer your family a holiday to anticipate each year.

 Christmas Markets In Italy

Italy has all the necessary components to become a must-visit location during Christmas: the nation is so strongly Catholic that the Pope makes it his home. Italians undoubtedly have the most excellent cuisine in the world, along with the tastiest pastries, traditional sweets, 100% handmade pasta, and wines.

Would you want to go shopping during your Christmas vacation? Italy is renowned around the world for its excellent couture houses, stylists, and craftspeople. You will discover your authentic, 100% made-in-Italy presents during your Christmas vacation in Italy.

• Govone

The action of “Magico Paese di Natale” takes place in Govone, a little town tucked away in the hills of Piedmont’s Langhe-Roero wine region, a Unesco World Heritage Site. One of the most significant Christmas celebrations in Italy, this magical event offers the chance to enjoy the holiday spirit in a unique setting. The entire town of Govone transforms into Santa Claus’s enchanted realm throughout the winter, along with various cultural and culinary attractions.

There is the lovely Christmas market, with Italian artisans that have been hand-picked. Visitors may discover every typical regional delicacy at the Street Food section and the Magic Kingdom Wine store. The extraordinary musical presentation of Santa Claus, presented every day in the scenographic Savoy royal castle of Govone, makes this fantastic Christmas town distinct.

• Brixen/Bressanone

A unique Christmas aura permeates the Bressanone/Brixen Cathedral Square throughout Advent. The Christmas market successfully combines quiet settings with a flurry of activity. The market provides various unique gift options made by local artisans using traditional Alpine techniques.

Delicious mulled wine and regional specialties encourage reflection throughout the Advent season in a fun evening setting. Under the hundreds of tiny lights and the shadow of the cathedral, a Christmas fairy tale came to life.

• Trieste

You may buy handcrafted goods, gifts, and characteristic Central European gastronomic specialities at the Trieste Christmas Market. A real-animal-based live creche is available for children. The Immaculate Conception Feast at Piazza S. Antonio kicks off this market.

• Bolzano

Italy’s most anticipated pre-Christmas celebration is now known by its original name, “Christkindlmarkt.” Around 80 exhibitors show off everything that makes Christmas feel festive from the end of November to January 6, in addition to the many festivities that accompany it. At Christmas, Bolzano is regarded as the capital of Italy.

During Advent, the city is awash in the hues and sounds of the holiday season, and thousands of lights brighten the streets of its historic centre as the familiar carols ring out in the distance.

Both the Piazza Walther and the old town are home to the market’s distinctive wooden huts, where traditional ornaments made of glass, wood, and ceramic are sold alongside gift suggestions that are based on old-fashioned crafts, delectable foods, and mouthwatering Christmas cakes like the “Zelten” of Bolzano.

Conclusion

You must at least once in your life experience the romance of Christmastime in Italy. Visit various markets and even other towns as an ex-pat to get a more in-depth sense of the beautiful Italian Christmas customs.