There’s Christmas and then there’s Christmas in Italy. With its long Roman Catholic tradition, it’s no surprise that the holiday takes on a particular (read: effusive) flare here, where vibrant light displays, bustling markets, and indulgent seasonal treats come standard.
Whether you’re looking to spot Babbo Natale (Italian for Santa Claus) or even the Pope himself, Italy is a Christmas lover’s playland.

Spending Christmas in Italy is a recipe for a lovely festive season. With authentic local traditions zealously preserved, lively Christmas markets taking over the historic centres of the Italian cities and towns, and whole communities setting up large Nativity Scenes, being in Italy at Christmas is to experience fully the season of joy and goodwill.

Italy’s most beautiful villages, or its Borghi Più Belli d’Italia, are especially picturesque at Christmas when their small alleys and piazzas are decked with decorations and host seasonal events.
From the beginning of December until La Befana on January 6th, the borghi come to resemble real-life nativity scenes.

Shop at Italy’s Christmas Markets
Italy’s Christmas markets are a lot of fun. Selling a selection of rustic arts and crafts in addition to having many food stalls, they take over the historic centres of the Italian cities and towns from the end of November all the way to Epiphany on the 6th January.

Admire Italy’s Christmas Decorations and Illuminations
Italy goes out of its way to deck the halls for Christmas. Cities and towns get draped with festive decorations.

Do a Nativity Scenes Walk
Nativity scenes are the focal point of Italy’s Christmas decorations and spirit. Also known as a manger scene or a crib in English, they are called presepio or presepe in Italian and are carefully arranged in churches, city squares and private homes all over the country.

See a Living Nativity Scene
Living Nativity scenes are one of Italy’s most curious and delightful things to experience at Christmas.
Groups of local volunteers stage elaborate representations of the Christmas story in caves, on town squares or as a procession along a city’s main streets. Often hundreds of people take part and recreate in minute detail the town of Bethlehem on the eve of Christ’s birth.

Listen to a Zampognaro
Bagpipe players called zampognari can be seen performing on the streets of Italy’s cities and towns in the days before Christmas. With heavy cloaks around their shoulders, they play beautifully on their bagpipes extracting a myriad of musical emotions.

Indulge in Hot Chocolate and Panettone
Hot chocolate and panettone is a marriage made in Italian Christmas heaven, so make sure that you enjoy it as often as you can when you spend a Christmas in Italy.

Shop for Italian Christmas Food

Stincotto
this is a confit-style slow-braised cut of pork leg. You will see it sold in vacuumed packs inside nicely designed cardboard boxes all throughout the festive season. Don’t be put off by its name. Stincotto is actually quite nice and very easy to warm up at home.

Pandoro
invented in Verona, this is a tall, star-shaped bready cake which is served sliced and sprinkled with icing sugar so as to look like the snow-covered caps of the Dolomites. 

Panforte
a dry compact cake made of honey, spices, candied fruit and almonds, which is typical of the Tuscan city of Siena but it can found in other corners of Italy, too.

Panpepato
typical for Central and Northern Italy, this is a cake/biscuit made with fruits, nuts, pepper, nutmeg and citrus zest. Sometimes, it’s also covered in chocolate.

Torrone
traditional Italian nougat which can be either soft or hard and is enriched with nuts, chocolate, and candied fruit.

Marron Glace’
Whole chestnuts that have been boiled in sugar syrup. They taste truly divine and are sold in elegant boxes or wrapped individually. 

Vin brule’
mulled wine is a staple at every self-respecting Christmas market in Italy.

Party on New Year's Eve in Italy
La Festa di San Silvestro, or New Year's Eve, is celebrated December 31.
Fireworks, music, and dancing are part of the festivities in many towns, with parties often lasting until sunrise to bring in the first morning of the new year.

Take Part in the Epiphany and La Befana Traditions
Epiphany, January 6, is a national holiday and the day children traditionally receive gifts—not from Santa Claus, but from La Befana—an elderly woman (some call her a witch) who flies around on a broomstick the night of January 5. She delivers toys and sweets to children who have behaved, and those who have been bad receive lumps of coal. Children hang up their stockings on January 5 before they go to bed and hope to find them filled with goodies the next morning.

Walk Through Christmas Villages
The cities of Venice and Milan go above and beyond to create whole Christmas villages that people of all ages enjoy. 

Venetian Lights
As if Venice, with its winding alleyways and narrow canals, wasn’t magical enough, Christmastime cranks the spellbinding scenery up to 11. With the height of tourist season tapering off, city denizens decorate the streets with near-absurd numbers of lights, and mercatini di natale (Christmas markets) pop up everywhere with the largest taking over Campo Santo Stefano.

Panettone in Milan
Milan is the best European city for Christmas shopping. Large department stores and small boutique shops deck out their windows in displays that make even frenzied, last-minute gift buying totally enjoyable. But more importantly, there is panettone, which has its origins in Milan. 

Manarola Nativity Scene
Liguria’s Cinque Terre, the five coastal towns known for their colorful cliff-side buildings, gets sleepy after the summer crowds leave — until Christmas time, when the area experiences a boost of activity. Every year on December 8 in Manarola (one of the five towns) the hills that line the shore are adorned with an elaborate nativity scene.

Naples and the Feast of Seven Fishes
Perhaps you’ve heard of the Italian-American tradition the “feast of the seven fishes” — a Christmas Eve dinner where the menu revolves around (you guessed it) seafood. The much awaited gustatory indulgence comes from southern Italy; every year people in Naples, residents host la vigilia (the vigil) the night before Christmas.

Atrani Campania
It may sound unlikely to visit the Amalfi Coast during the winter holidays but Atrani’s “Stelle Divine” events are sure to stave off the cold weather blues and delight locals and visitors alike.
Each year, the historic fishing town is illuminated in bright colors, creating a magical atmosphere along the coast.

Gromo, Lombardy
A small town near Bergamo in the Lombardy region, is hosting events at the “Casa Bergamasca di Babbo Natale”, or “Santa’s House”. 

Locorotondo, Puglia
Locorotondo, one of Puglia's whitewashed gems, is perhaps Italy’s most Christmassy town.
During the holidays, its narrow alleys are covered in garlands, bows and lights, giving you the sensation of wandering around a real-life snow globe.

Petralia Soprana, Sicily
Tucked within Sicily’s spectacular Parco delle Madonie mountain range, Petralia Soprana is another one of the island’s most beautiful small towns and comes alive each Christmas with its “Presepe D’Incanto”. 

Castiglione del Lago, Umbria
The charming town of Castiglione del Lago in Umbria is hosting “Luci sul Trasimeno” this year which sees the world’s largest Christmas tree projected on a body of water. 

La festa più importante dell’anno va organizzata con attenzione. 
Quindi pianifichiamo le cose da fare. Prima di tutto procuratevi un calendario dell’Avvento. Iniziare a fare il conto alla rovescia non è affatto una cosa solo da bambini. 

Prepararsi in anticipo! Per preparare un buon pranzo di Natale o la cena della Vigilia senza farsi prendere dallo stress, soprattutto se si deve cucinare, è fondamentale organizzarsi per fare le cose in anticipo.
La spesa di Natale Per fare la spesa in modo intelligente e senza perdite di tempo il trucco è preparare una bella lista della spesa.
Bisogna prima di tutto decidere se scegliere piatti della tradizione o innovativi. La semplicità è sempre la strada migliore per evitare di scontrarsi con i gusti diversi degli invitati e rischiare brutte sorprese. Meglio magari previlegiare ricette collaudate e di cui si conosce già il risultato.
Le candele a Natale La luce scintillante delle candele dona sempre un'atmosfera particolare e suggestiva alla tavola, ma bisogna essere cauti nell'usarle.
Innanzitutto se si vuole collocare un centrotavola o altri tipi di addobbi, le candele diventano un po' un "di più" e rischiano di appesantire l'aspetto d'insieme. Inoltre ad alcune persone danno proprio fastidio.

REGALI DI NATALE
I regali: sono loro i veri protagonisti del Natale. Anche chi non ama particolarmente festeggiare, chi in fondo si sente un po’ Grinch, inevitabilmente finisce frullato nel vortice degli acquisti. Inutile barricarsi dietro la mancanza di idee, gli spunti per fare il regalo giusto sono milioni. Un consiglio è sempre da tenere bene a mente: il dono, come sostengono molti studiosi, è gradito se parla di chi lo riceve. Quindi un briciolo di impegno garantirà il successo.
Una soluzione sempre gradita, che agevola molto chi non ama fare shopping, sono i buoni regalo. Non sapete se è meglio un profumo o un libro, un piccolo elettrodomestico o un gadget? Basta un click per sciogliere ogni dubbio.
Il budget non è un problema e il regalo lo sceglie chi lo riceve. Più semplice di così..
Spesso però si arriva a questo momento dell’anno senza avere la minima idea su cosa orientarsi.
Curiosare tra i prodotti più regalati in questi giorni può dare uno spunto o suggerire quella soluzione che avevate proprio sotto gli occhi, ma a cui non avevate pensato.
Dare uno sguardo alle offerte di Natale  disponibili dal 7 al 23 Dicembre sulla piattaforma Amazon può riservare grandi sorprese. Poi ci sono bestseller, nsomma è davvero difficile non trovare quello che fa proprio al caso nostro.

Selected websites travel blogs on Christmas Tips on your winter vacation in Italy

Best Things to Do for Christmas in Italy
https://rossiwrites.com/italy/christmas-in-italy/things-to-do-for-christmas-in-italy/

Christmas in Italy Festivals Events Things to Do
https://www.tripsavvy.com/christmas-and-winter-holidays-in-italy-1547332

Siti Selezionati Suggerimenti sul Natale

Trucchi e consigli per Natale 10 utilissimi consigli per un Natale a prova di suocera
https://www.alimentipedia.it/trucchi-consigli-per-natale.html

Ricette di Natale ANTIPASTI SECONDI PIATTI CONTORNI E PER FINIRE... UN TRIPUDIO DI DOLCEZZA!
https://www.giallozafferano.it/ricette-di-natale

TUTTE LE MIGLIORI RICETTE E I MENU DI NATALE
https://www.salepepe.it/ricette/menu-di-natale/

Idee Regalo per i regali natalizi Novità per questo Natale: i trend del momento Quali sono i doni che vanno di moda quest'anno? Ecco alcuni esempi di ciò che saremo felici di trovare sotto l'albero il prossimo 25 Dicembre

https://www.regalitop.it/feste/regali-natale-lui-lei

Consigli per allestire una festa di Natale perfetta - I dettagli della tua festa di Natale aziendale ti stanno facendo impazzire? Idee per una festa di Natale perfetta:
https://verobabbonatale.it/festa-di-natale/

PRENOTA BABBO NATALE 
Gestiamo sosia di Babbo Natale con BARBA VERA dal 2010 per Eventi Aziendali, Villaggi di Natale, Centri Commerciali, Cena di Natale Aziendale, Eventi per i Comuni d’Italia. Il nostro marchio “Vero Babbo Natale” è specializzato solo ed esclusivamente nella fornitura e gestione di Sosia di Babbo Natale, sia in Italia che all’estero.
Prenota un messaggio totalmente personalizzabile realizzato da un Babbo Natale Vero con barba bianca vera, età superiore ai 60 anni, corporatura robusta e abito e accessori altamente professionali
Offriamo i migliori Sosia di Babbo Natale, attori professionisti con barba vera e capelli bianchi per non lasciare nessun dubbio che si tratti del Vero Babbo Natale!
https://verobabbonatale.it/

Merry Christmas idee e consigli per un Natale davvero speciale - Cosa mettiamo quest’anno sotto l’albero? Come evitare di arrivare all’ultimo momento, con il rischio di restare intrappolati nel traffico dello shopping e fare acquisti sbagliati destinati a un inevitabile riciclo?
https://www.consigli.it/merry-christmas-idee-e-consigli-per-un-natale-davvero-speciale/

How to Spend a Perfect Christmas in Italy
https://www.travelandleisure.com/holiday-travel/christmas-travel/christmas-in-italy

How To Celebrate Christmas In Italy’s Most Beautiful Villages
https://www.forbes.com/sites/liviahengel/2019/12/11/how-to-celebrate-christmas-in-italys-most-beautiful-villages/