Celebrating Christmas in Italy

Rome: The Christmas season in Italy generally begins with the Feast of the Immaculate Conception on 8 December when Italians start decorating their homes and Christmas trees are lit up across the country.

The Festa dell’Immacolata is both a religious feast day and a public holiday, and on this day each year the pope makes a pilgrimage to the statue of the Madonna near the Spanish Steps in Rome.

Christmas trees: Some of the most impressive Christmas trees in Italy are in Piazza Venezia in Rome, Piazza del Duomo in Florence, and Piazza del Duomo in Milan, as well as the Vatican’s much-photographed tree and Nativity scene in St Peter’s Square.

World records: However Italy is also home to the world’s largest Christmas tree: the Umbrian town of Gubbio illuminates its mountain with 700 lights in the form of a giant Christmas tree, in a tradition dating back to 1981. As if that weren’t enough, Italy also holds the record for the world’s largest Nativity scene: the Cinque Terre village of Manarola lights up its hillside with 17,000 lights each Christmas.

Italy’s Christmas markets: Christmas markets tend to begin across Italy around 8 December, with one of the most popular ones – the so-called German Market – held each year in Florence.

Christmas cribs: Christmas mangers and Nativity scenes appear in churches all over Italy, in a tradition begun by St Francis of Assisi in the mountain village of Greccio in 1223. Naples is world-renowned for its hand-crafted presepi, and there is even the Italian tradition of Nativity scenes with real people. However the most impressive crib display is always in Rome with the annual 100 Presepi exhibition near the Vatican.

Zampognari: The spectacle of bagpipe-playing shepherds, known as zampognari, is common in southern Italy and still exists in Rome. Dressed in traditional sheepskin and woollen cloaks, the pipers come to Rome from their mountain homes, performing in streets around the capital. You will hear them from far away!

Italy’s Christmas City: Christmas in celebrated in style across Italy, with a particularly festive approach in the northern Trentino region where one place – Trento – takes the festive season so seriously that it is known as the Christmas City.

Christmas Food: Christmas in Italy is also a time of traditions, with customs varying from region to region, particularly in relation to festive Italian food, with universal favourites including sweet Christmas breads or cakes such as panettone and pandoro. However, unlike northern Europe and the US, the main Christmas meal in Italy is based around fish – multiple courses of it – on Christmas Eve.

Religion: After Christmas Eve dinner many Italians go to Midnight Mass, although these days the service is usually held a lot earlier than midnight, while on Christmas morning many Romans flock to St Peter’s Square for the pope’s Urbi et Orbi message and blessing.

La Befana: After celebrating the New Year, Christmas in Italy draws to a close officially with the religious Feast of the Epiphany, or La Befana, on 6 January. In the popular Befana tradition, the revised bibilical story sees the three wise men invite a witch to join them on their journey to bring gifts to baby Jesus. Unable to find Jesus she gave the toys to other children. According to tradition, children hang up stockings to receive sweets if they have been good or coal if they have been naughty.