Christmas in Rome is different from holidays in many European capitals. The squares smell not of fried sausages, but of sweet pastries. In Rome they drink mulled wine not for warmth, but simply for pleasure. And even it’s not Saint Nicholas in a red caftan who walks the streets, but a creature reminiscent of Baba Yaga. We'll tell you where to go in Rome for Christmas, what to do, what souvenirs to look for at fairs, and what holiday dishes to try first.
Christmas market in Bressanone
Period: November 29, 2019 – January 6, 2020
Opening hours: Mon-Sat from 10.00 to 19.30
Sun and holidays from 09.30 to 19.00
01.01.2020: 12.00 — 19.00
06.01.2020: 10.00 — 18.00
12/25/2019 — closed
The city of art, Bressanone, invites you to visit its open-air museum to appreciate its pearls of art and fully immerse yourself in the Christmas atmosphere. You will find yourself in a New Year's fairy tale.
The Christmas market is held in Piazza del Duomo. This market boasts traditionally decorated stalls selling Christmas goods and offering original gift ideas that are typical of South Tyrolean traditions.
Christmas market in Bressanone. Photo caereviaggi.com
Christmas market in Aosta
Period: from November 23, 2021 to January 6, 2021
Working hours:
Every day from 10.00 to 20.00
12/25/2019 and 01/01/2020 from 16.00 to 20.00.
Aosta, a small Alpine capital, is a city of monuments and charming ancient art with rich tradition and a welcoming spirit. Especially between December and January, when the Marché Vert Noël Christmas market transforms Piazza Caveri into a mesmerizing alpine village, everything here is somehow especially attractive and beautiful. As you walk through the stalls set up in the village, you can admire the local handicrafts. There are a lot of all sorts of things here: candles, wooden objects, gastronomic typical delicacies of the Valle d'Aosta, antique items from yesteryear, Christmas tree decorations, clothes made of wool, felt and hemp, lace.
Children should definitely see the Christmas house of Italian Father Christmas, Babbo Natale, which is full of surprises and find a big bag of gifts there.
Christmas market in Aosta. Photo: caffetteriadellemore.forumcommunity.net
Mercatino Di Natale. Christmas market at Eataly Moscow
From December 15 to January 15, a large-scale New Year's fair in Italian traditions will take place in the gastronomic quarter of Eataly Moscow.
Eataly Moscow is an authentic gastronomic corner of Italy in Moscow, which is why the seasonal fair here is called in Italian, Mercatino Di Natale. Without leaving Moscow, guests will be able to travel around the Apennine Peninsula: feel the atmosphere of a European Christmas market, get acquainted with festive Italian traditions, try dishes from different regions, learn how to cook pizza and other world culinary hits. And, of course, buy healthy and tasty gifts for family and friends.
For children
They will organize a trip for new experiences in the literal sense of the word - a train will run through the territory of Eataly Moscow, on the route of which there will be restaurants, a games room, an area with master classes, and a stage. And, of course, a meeting with the Italian Santa Claus - Babbo Natale! The first Italian children's club in Moscow, Ciao, Bambini, will open on December 21 and will be open every day, seven days a week. In it, little guests will be introduced to Italy and its traditions.
For parents
While professional animators work with children, parents can solve many pressing issues. Firstly, treat yourself to Italian dishes from different regions, choosing for lunch a dish from your favorite region of Italy: if you want - Lombardy-style veal, if you want - cheeses like in Emilia-Romagna, if you want - fish and seafood, just like in restaurants in Rimini (the Italian gastronomic center has 10 restaurants and cafes). Get ready for Instagram! Bright Christmas photo zones and installations, retro posters and much, much more await you! The educational and entertainment program is impressive - here you can learn the basics of the Italian language, immerse yourself in the world of cinema, get involved in the creation of a giant coloring book with Italian symbols and landscapes, and Italian musicians will set the mood.
For the New Year's feast
At the market you can also try and buy everything you need for a New Year's feast, look for a delicious Christmas turkey so that you can order it delivered to your home at the very moment, and also close the issue of buying gifts. Because meat delicacies, the freshest young cheeses from our own cheese factory, home-made pasta, olive oil, Genoese pesto and coffee are always relevant to everyone - family, friends, and colleagues. What can we say about delicious truffles, panettone Christmas cake that brings good luck, and the best prosecco in the world! During the fair they offer significant discounts on wine and strong alcohol - up to 40%, and sommeliers conduct tastings. It’s worth attending culinary shows and master classes and practicing under the strict guidance of overseas professionals (the fair’s schedule includes cooking lessons every day). The program also includes lectures on the culture and gastronomy of Italy and raffles (prizes include a visit to a restaurant, a compliment from Italian winemakers, and a Ligurian dinner).
Details
St. Kyiv, 2 (4th floor of TGC "Kyiv", entry to the parking lot from Bryanskaya street)
#MercatinoDiNatale
https://www.instagram.com/eatalymoscow/
Christmas market in Livigno
Period: November 29 - December 30, 2021
Opening hours: Fri-Sun from 14.30 to 19.00
December 8 and Sundays: 10.30 – 19.00
Livigno is one of the most popular destinations for sports fans and lovers of Christmas markets.
The Christmas markets open this year on November 29: at 1,800 meters the ski resort welcomes guests with all the characteristic decor of wooden houses filled with souvenirs and original gifts, decorations for the Christmas tree and home.
Christmas market in Livigno. Photo: caffetteriadellemore.forumcommunity.net
Christmas market in Trento
Period: November 23, 2021 to January 6, 2021
Piazza Fiera, Piazza Cesare Battisti
Working hours:
Every day from 10.00 to 19.30
12/25/2019 — closed
12/26/2019 and 01/01/2020 from 12.00 to 19.30.
In Trento, traditional wooden pavilions are built around the historical walls of Piazza Fiera every November, united by the events and activities of one of the most famous Alpine Christmas markets.
Christmas market in Turin
Period: 23/11/2019 — 06/01/2020
Piazza Castello
Working hours:
Mon-Fri from 10.30-21.00
Sat and holidays from 10.30 to 23.00
Turin is a city of art and culture, in which an atmosphere of austerity and elegance of the Savoyard family reigns, inspiring young artists to create something unusual. A striking example is the annual open-air exhibition “Luci d'Artista” with installations by local and leading international contemporary artists.
The ancient capital of the Kingdom of Italy celebrates Christmas in 2021 with the opening of its Christmas markets, inviting 250 participants from all regions of Italy to the squares and gardens of the Borgo Dora district. There will be many entertaining events for children and adults.
Shops will be open late during the fair. Special pavilions will be installed that will house all the necessary Christmas decorations: Christmas tree decorations, wooden and glass figurines. Cafes and restaurants will create special Christmas menus.
Luci d'Artista in Turin. Photo kristinagi.com
Christmas markets
At the end of November, Rome's main Christmas market opens annually in Piazza Navona. This fair is over 100 years old. It's always noisy, fun and interesting here. If you come to Rome in December, be sure to visit this Christmas market - it is considered the main and most significant in the city.
In wooden houses you can buy souvenirs or gifts for loved ones. If you are going to celebrate the holiday with Italians, pay attention to poinsettias - traditional Christmas flowers of red color. You can safely give them to local residents. Be sure to check out the stalls with all sorts of treats. You will find gifts for your loved ones and try a lot of delicious things yourself.
On Christmas Eve in Piazza Navona there is a carousel with horses, which will appeal to both children and adults. At the bazaar you can take part in various master classes, take pictures with Babbo Natale (Italian Santa Claus), enjoy evening shows and just relax.
Befana, a mythological character reminiscent of Baba Yaga, always walks around the square. She gives sweets to diligent children, and coals to naughty children (in fact, they are also sweet and very tasty). If you come to Rome for Christmas with a child, be sure to chat with Befana.
Opening hours of the main Christmas market in Rome : December 8, 2021 – January 7, 2021.
Rome's other holiday markets are also worth visiting. Almost every square and every attraction hosts small fairs with treats and souvenirs.
What to try
Italians eat fish and seafood on Christmas Eve, and on Christmas Day there is always meat on the table. You can read about traditional Italian dishes in a separate article (write down the names before your trip to Rome).
Top 10 treats to try at the Christmas markets in Rome:
- Fried or baked eel capitole.
- Farmhouse cheeses and deli meats.
- Roasted peanuts and chestnuts.
- Turron (nougat with nuts).
- ciambelle donuts.
- Apples in caramel.
- Fruits in chocolate.
- Christmas pandoro cupcake.
- Christmas Panettone Cake.
- Hot chocolate and mulled wine.
What to buy
At the Christmas markets in Rome there is always a large selection of traditional souvenirs and all kinds of gifts. You will often meet Italians at the markets. Many of them buy handmade goods here as gifts for loved ones.
Top 10 souvenirs worth buying in Rome on Christmas Eve at the fair:
- Befana figurine.
- Christmas nativity scenes (usually in the form of candlesticks).
- Copies of Roman coins.
- Wooden dolls.
- Christmas tree decorations, hand painted.
- Soap in the form of New Year's figures.
- Handmade women's jewelry
- Knitted items: New Year's socks, hats, mittens.
- Ceramic mugs, cups, festive dishes.
- Traditional sweets in gift boxes.
Christmas market in Milan
Period: from November 22, 2021
In Milan, Christmas celebrations are marked by the opening of the traditional market “Oh Bej! Oh Bej!”, which means in the dialect “Oh beautiful, oh beautiful!” .
One of the oldest fairs in Italy: the first traces of this event can be traced back to 1288, when the first celebrations dedicated to Saint Ambrose were organized in Milan. Then the fair was held in the Santa Maria Maggiore quarter. The fair acquired its current appearance in 1510, when the Pope commissioned the Grand Master of the Order of Saints Mauritius and Lazarus to make a stop in Milan in order to rekindle the citizens' devotion to the Vatican. Out of fear of being rejected, the Master ordered gift bags containing sweets and toys to be distributed to people who came to the holiday. The children, having received unexpected gifts, shouted in unison “Oh, Bay! Oh Bay! (Oh, how beautiful!) and from that time on, the holiday dedicated to St. Ambrose was nicknamed the fair “O Bay! Oh, Bay!
The fair later moved from the area around the Basilica of St. Ambrose to the Castello Sforzesco, where it will take place this year. More than 370 stalls filled with antique objects, artisan goods, florists, toys, sweets and other products await guests of the event.
The shopping arcades will offer goods for all tastes: crafts of all kinds, traditional delicacies - crunchy hazelnuts or almonds, nougat and sweets. The aroma of roasted chestnuts will reign in the air.
Christmas market in Milan. Photo viaggiramilli.it
“Italy, my love!”: what to expect from the festival of Italian culture in Moscow
From July 28 to July 30, the Italian week festival will be held in Moscow for the eighth time. The event will take place at the design and will welcome guests every day from 11 am to 9 pm. This time the festival will be held in the format of a summer weekend, when you can come with the whole family and enjoy everything around you: a lot of events, cooking classes, entertainment and a fair of Italian products known throughout Moscow. Entry to festival events is always free.
We talked with the man who created the first festival about Italy in Moscow, which has since become the largest and most anticipated event for everyone who loves this wonderful country. So, meet the curator of the Italian week festival project, Ekaterina Antoshkina.
Italy is a rich culture with many unique components. Why is the festival program focusing on gastronomy?
The emphasis on gastronomy developed spontaneously, and here, it should be noted, we happily joined the boom of gastronomic festivals for every taste. But for Italy (and for us, the organizers), gastronomy is a really important matter.
We want people to get acquainted with the correct gastronomic traditions, learn to choose quality products, and understand wines, cheeses and pasta. All this is an incredible journey into the rich world of Italian traditions. After all, where there is food, there is historical information. Knowledge of gastronomy to some extent helps to know the country, its history, the reasons for the emergence of certain products.
How did pesto come about? What's so special about this tiramisu? Why are there so many aged and dry-cured products in Italy? Why an Italian will never eat yesterday's food, and everything is prepared only day after day. At our lectures we try to collect rare, rich content.
The same applies to any activity: master classes, cooking lessons, language practices. All this is a great pleasure for us, so we do it every year. A huge number of visitors know us personally: they come, say hello, remember the first festivals, ask what is the most delicious or interesting this time. We have something to discuss.
In addition, we conduct Italian lessons, cultural studies, art history lectures at the advanced level, and many people come to them, they are interested, they understand the subject. We are proud of all our experts.
Each of your festivals - no matter what time of year it is held - offers guests a whole list of on-site opportunities. What will happen at this festival?
Our summer format is always larger. We will have music, a lot of cooking lessons, delicious food, gelato, a competition of Venetian masks, we will roll out the longest pasta (last year we almost did it, we will repeat it) - the record requires 600 people to hold it.
There will be many lectures, recreation areas, competitions and many other interesting things. The idea is this: a person who comes to the festival on the first day will want to come all three days - that’s how cool it will be for him. I repeat, entry to all events is strictly free. And, of course, there will be our famous fair.
Today, many festivals are held, including international ones. How do you manage not to merge with the general flow? Why was this festival format chosen? How was this idea born and how was it nurtured to eventually become the event that delights the Moscow public so much?
When we held the first festival about Italy back in 2012, there was no talk of such a flow. The industry, so to speak, was just emerging, and in order to put our event into an understandable format, which we now like most, we had to learn and invent it ourselves: there were no samples.
We didn’t come to the format right away: it seems to those who are now starting to do something similar that the format is obvious. However, to come to it, it was necessary to test a lot of platforms, ideas and check the public’s reaction. Previously, we only did lectures, lessons, and master classes. Then a fair was added, and now the fair has turned into a separate project, which we do three times a year.
Last year, the Canadian Association dealing with Italy in Canada named us the best festival about Italy in Russia, we entered the top of the most interesting Italian festivals in the world.
Why do you think Mediterranean cuisine and “everything Italian” are so popular in Russia? Are there many true experts and connoisseurs? Do you think the Russian public is really capable of appreciating Italian delicacies and authentic products, or will the domestic consumer be fine with anything if they simply call it pizza, Parmesan or tiramisu?
Our audience is the most discerning, they learn, they want to discover new things, they are not afraid to try and ask questions. Everything Italian has been popular in Russia since Soviet times. Then people began to travel, get the best impressions of this magnificent, incredible country, and again and again they want to experience those sensations, emotions and, of course, gastronomic impressions.
A person who has visited Italy at least once will never part with it. Even because it’s warm, tasty and beautiful. Look at me: my impression of this country has resulted in a whole project. Over all the years that we have been working on this story, more than 200 thousand people have come to our festivals: everyone is passionate, knowledgeable, and interested. That's a lot. But who's counting? In general, we love our audience, and this is mutual.
Tell us about the festival participants: how many will there be, what are their names, what will they present, what can be found at the festival that is rare in Moscow?
As a rule, we gather about 30 companies that work with Italy, deal with food, jewelry, beauty industry, and so on. We never work with “stream” manufacturers, which can be found on the shelf of any supermarket. Some bring products specifically for the fair - these are small local manufacturers, or, conversely, legendary brands with a century-old history that are not in Moscow.
We attract participants to the fair who guarantee the quality of the products: as a rule, all products are of a very high level, manufactured in manufacture, with a lot of awards, history, and so on. Italy is notable for its attitude to traditions, to quality control of the production of any product: chocolate, pasta, olive oil, pesto - anything. All this provides unconditional quality that attracts people.
In addition, we are creating an entertainment program: it is aimed at ensuring that people come and learn a lot about the country, and the events are all completely free. In general, this is my favorite part of preparing a festival: looking for and finding experts with whom the public immediately falls in love. We have been working with some of them for years, involving them in each project again and again.
Will food be provided at the festival and how?
Yes, so that people can be on site all day, wandering from lecture to lecture, we naturally organize meals. All the most important things are here: pizza, pasta, desserts, coffee from the best producers. I can say, not without pride, that the quality of food and nutrition at our events is certainly of a high level.
It’s very difficult for me to feed myself: given the immersion in the gastronomic topic, my team and I are very capricious. And this is also the threshold for entry to our event. A dubious project will never take part in our fair and our festival. We need passion, quality, commitment: we need people as passionate as ourselves.
We have an Italian week market project, where very tasty Italian products are sold. We call them “DOP level”, this is an Italian standard, synonymous with unconditional quality. So, each of our participants must treat the quality of their products and services in such a way that we can say the same about them.
How do Italian producers, sellers, and chefs evaluate Russian interest in their culture, gastronomy, goods, and so on?
Italians know very well how much people in Russia love Italian food, culture, and the country itself. Italians are proud of their country, history, and strong traditions. Therefore, it is interesting to work with them, it is interesting to learn from them.
What personally attracts you to Italy and its culture so much that this interest has resulted in several large-scale projects?
I like everything about Italy. This country is so harmonious that it is for me the best place to escape from our metropolitan (but also beautiful!) Moscow. This is an inexhaustible source of inspiration, new knowledge, new sensations.
Christmas market in Venice
Period:
9.12-10.12.2019
16.12-17.12.2019
23.12-24.12.2019
Palazzo Zenobio Dorsoduro
Christmas in the lagoon. Very picturesque landscapes alternate with narrow streets and squares, gardens and courtyards that keep the secrets of palaces and houses. The city on the water, Venice, opens several traditional markets during the Christmas holidays, which are located in many areas of the city: small shopping houses decorated with colorful garlands are reflected in the water of the canals.
In the Venetian stalls at the Christmas markets you can find and buy typical local products, ranging from glass souvenirs, wine and antiques.
Christmas in Venice. Photo viaggiare.dimoredepoca.it
Christmas markets in Rome
Period: 08.12.2019 – 07.01.2020
All roads lead to Rome. And even those with Christmas markets lead to Piazza Navona in the historic center of the city, where, among old buildings and magnificent fountains designed by Bernini in 1651, stalls with art, toys, wooden decorations and figurines for the traditional presepio open up. The main character of the fair is Befana, or the evil Baba Yaga, who is more associated with another winter holiday - Epiphany (in Italian: Epiphany), when, according to tradition, on January 6th she brings coal to children if they behaved badly last year.
Christmas market in Rome, Piazza Navona. Photo by Thinkstock
The Christmas markets in Rome create a magical Christmas atmosphere, especially at night, when the lights of the stalls softly illuminate the “eternal city”. While enjoying the taste of roasted chestnuts, typical products from some regions of Italy, and a steaming cup of hot chocolate or mulled wine, do not miss the performance of classical music by bagpipers.
Christmas markets in Rome. Photo gosabina.com
The most famous Christmas markets in Italy
Christmas market in Piazza Navona in Rome
November 24, 2013 – January 06, 2014 www.tuttomercatinidinatale.it/mercatini-natale-roma.html
One of the most famous Christmas markets in Italy takes place, as you might guess, in Rome. And its original place is Piazza Navona. It is curious that the hottest passions boil here not on Christmas or New Year's Eve, but on the eve of Epiphany (in church Epiphany) - a holiday that has long been “overgrown” with worldly traditions, the main character of which is Befana. It is this witch, according to legend, who brings gifts to children, so children leave socks for gifts in advance for the night. Befana is usually depicted as an old woman flying on a broom, wearing a black robe, with a bag of gifts and sweets on her back.
As usual, the fair is open from November 24 and will last until January 6, 2014. First of all, it specializes in the sale of all kinds of Christmas decorations, from the most traditional to the most modern and original. And, of course, here you will find a sea of gifts that will be nice to put under the tree, and you can also buy typical Christmas delicacies.
Christmas market in Trento
November 23 – December 30, 2013 www.mercatinodinatale.tn.it www.tuttomercatinidinatale.it/mercatini-natale-trento.html
Trento is a typical town in central Europe, combining the spirit of Italian and German cultures. It is often called “the first Italian city after Brennero” (in a geographical sense, looking from north to south), and that is why the traditions of both cultures have taken root here over the centuries.
By the way, one of these traditions is the Christmas market, which appeared in Germany back in the 14th century under the name “St. Nicholas Fairs,” i.e. Santa Claus, therefore in Trento and its surroundings the heroes of the Christmas holidays are not only the Baby Jesus, but also St. Nicholas (in the Orthodox tradition, Nicholas the Pleasant). For this reason, the first Christmas markets in Trento opened on December 6, the feast day of the Saint, and gradually became one of the city's main events.
Christmas market in Bolzano
November 29, 2013 – January 06, 2014 www.mercatinodinatalebz.it www.tuttomercatinidinatale.it/mercatini-natale-bolzano.html
The Christmas market in Bolzano (like Trento, a city of two cultures: Mediterranean and Central European) is the most awaited event of the whole year. The already pretty town is completely transformed, filled with fairy lights and New Year's decorations: hundreds of lanterns illuminate the central streets, and traditional Christmas melodies are heard everywhere. On Walther Square there are stalls and shops selling Christmas goods: Christmas tree decorations, all kinds of gifts, typical products and holiday treats, especially amazing sweets, for example, the famous “Zelten” cake with dried and candied fruits.
Here you can find out about other Christmas markets operating in the province of Alto Adige: www.christkindlmarkt.it and www.bolzano.net/mercatini.htm
Christmas market in Turin
04 – 23 December 2013 www.tuttomercatinidinatale.it/mercatini-natale-torino.html
This Christmas market is open from December 4 to 23 in Piazza Borgo Dora. There is a brisk trade in Christmas goods in numerous stalls.
The festive program and other information can be found on the official website of the Turin fair: www.mercatinonataletorino.it
