Christmas Time and New Year’s Eve in Italy

What are you gonna do for your Christmas Holidays?

The Christmas season in Italy is a really special time, a traditional celebration which last from centuries, and still today preserves its magical atmosphere.

In every Italian city you will visit, you will find brilliant streets full of coloured lights warming the air, any sort of decorations, Christmas trees which overlook in homes windows and balconies, shop windows full of coloured and typical adornments, lights, and colorful tree Christmas balls…you won’t believe it!

Italians have lots of ancient Christmas traditions, such as the preparation of the Nativity Scene, or like Italians say, the Presepe, which is the representation of Jesus birth in the manger, made up of any kind of material. It is possible to see the Presepi in any Italian town, you could start by visiting the main cathedral (Duomo) of the town you're in, then tour the smaller churches.

Banal? No, traditional. During Christmas time in fact, Italian traditions come back to life. You can find hundreds of different events organized on this occasion, such as concerts, festivals, fairs, or Christmas markets, which usually take place in cities throughout the country. Christmas Day and the New Year’s Eve are celebrated in a lot of different ways.

There’s a lot of things to see and several activities to do in many cities, such as Florence, Milan, Rome and Siena for example.

If you decide to come and visit Rome, the Italian capital full of history and great monuments, take a look at the famous Coliseum covered by lights: an amazing view. In addition, at the Christmas Market in Piazza Navona you can buy the components for your own nativity scene, as well as sweets, wooden toys and all sorts of Christmas-related ornaments and goodies.

As an alternative, Florence, the city of art, offers a wide range of events, festivals, and Christmas markets, such as the Heidelberg market in Santa Croce square, where it is possible to buy delicious German goodies and original hand-made objects and decorations. And besides, the name “Uffizi Gallery” rings a bell?

But going out from the thousand of lights that illuminate the biggest towns, you merge into the beauty of the Chianti countryside hills. Just here, you find the ancient and medieval town of Siena, with its suggestive and peculiar Piazza del Campo. Enjoy the beauty of the Tuscan countryside in the cheapest way, and spend winter and Christmas time in a different way, always in the complete relax and in the warmth of the Tuscany countryside.

Whereas if you are a shopping lover, Milan is the perfect place to find your Christmas gifts. Here you will find renowned and crowded streets full of stores, from the elegant Monte Napoleone to the more commercial Corso Buenos Aires, not far from the Central Station, while a festive atmosphere is created by the coloured lights decorating the main shopping areas.

So, what are you waiting for? Come and spend your Christmas Holidays and New Year’s Eve here in Italy, where celebrations never end!