Italian Christmas markets: Five cities to visit

Italy is one of the most visited countries in the world. But if you want to sprinkle your Italian holiday with a little bit of magic, then you should definitely visit Italiy during Christmas.

In fact, not only can you still visit all the Italian places full of history, and avoid the majority of the tourists – who usually prefer to visit Italy during Spring or Summer – but you can also feel a different atmosphere, since during Christmas many cities host both Italian Christmas markets and several Christmas celebrations.

So, in this article, I’m going to suggest five cities to visit if you’re going to spend your Christmas holidays in Italy.

ROME

Rome is one if the most famous Italian cities and one of the main Italian destinations tourists choose.

There you can visit many museums, historical buildings and historical sites like the Vatican museums, the Colosseum, the Pantheon, the Palatine hill, etc.

However, during the Christmas holidays, in Rome you can also see Italian Christmas markets in Piazza Navona and the Mostra dei 100 presepi. This is an exposition where more than 100 Nativity Scenes are set up in Piazza del Popolo. These scenes can be made of different materials like wood, chocolate, plastic, pasta, rice, sugar, shells, etc.

There are also other special celebrations during the Christmas holidays like Christmas shows and concerts and Christmas masses held in different places such as the Curch of Santa Maria Arcoeli, the Pantheon, etc.

NAPLES

Naples, the Italian city famous for its delicious pizza, changes during the Christmas holidays.

All the tourists can visit the Christmas Alley, via San Gregorio Armeno, a street that shows typical Nativity scenes.

In this alley you can see hand-crafted figurines in wood or terracotta. You can find both traditional figurines like shepherds, regional based figurines like pizza makers and even sport based or political based figurines.

These figurines can actually be seen throughout the whole year but they acquire a special meaning during the Christmas holidays.

CUSTONACI

If you don’t really like low temperatures, you may prefer to visit Sicily.

Sicilians love the Nativity scene and, during the Christmas season, they erect Nativities in almost every square, house, and Church of the island.

The most beautiful Nativity scene is perhaps the one held in Custonaci, a small town near Trapani.

There, a living Nativity with more than 160 performers is organized inside the Mangiapane cave.

TRENTINO-ALTO ADIGE

During the Christmas season in Trento are held some of the most famous Italian Christmas markets where you can buy many different things like typical food, hand-crafted objects, etc.

Moreover Trentino-Alto Adige offers breath-taking landscapes and it’s also a perfect holiday destination if you like Winter sports.

MILAN

For the whole year in Milan you can visit different museums, the Cathedral, the Sforzesco Castle, etc.

But during the Christmas season, the central streets are also decorated with lights and with many Italian Christmas markets.

Moreover, as every year, both the Cathedral of Milan and the Scala theater will hold the famous Christmas concert.

What about you? Have you ever visited Italy during your Christmas holidays? Which cities did you visit? Did you like them?

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Credits

Original image by Couleur