Italy is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world during the summer months, but have you ever considered traveling to Italy to explore its Christmas markets?
Picture Italy's stunning architecture and cobblestone streets set against a winter backdrop aglow with holiday lights. Wander through Christmas villages lined with festive stalls selling handmade crafts, holiday sweets, traditional foods, and hot drinks that will warm you from head to toe!
If you’re planning a trip to Italy this winter, don’t miss out on visiting its holiday markets. Whether you want to experience an Italian Christmas market with the glitz and glam of Milan, the medieval feel of Verona, or a mountain village in the Dolomites, northern Italy has what you need for a perfect winter holiday!
What are the best Christmas markets in northern Italy?
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Milan: Christmas in the big city
The city of Milan is impressive any time of year, but it becomes truly magical during the Christmas holidays. The highlight of holiday markets in Milan is at Piazza del Duomo, where you’ll find traditional food and craft stalls lined up alongside the city’s cathedral, light shows on the surrounding buildings, and a gigantic decorated Christmas tree across from the entrance to the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. Not to be outdone, there is also a 12 meter-tall tree inside the galleria, with thousands of sparkling lights reflecting off a stunning array of Swarovski crystals.
Milan has several other holiday markets located throughout the city that offer a variety of activities, artisan crafts and food stalls to round out your Christmas experience.
Oh Bej! Oh Bej! Fair, a traditional food and craft fair, is located at Sforzesco Castle.
The Village of Wonders Christmas village, located at the Giardini Indro Montanelli, has a covered skating rink, music, workshops, rides, and Santa Claus’s house!
Crafts at the Fair, located at RHO Fair Park just outside of Milan, has over three thousand stands with handmade products and typical foods from around the world.
Green Christmas, at the Fonderia Napoleonica Eugenia, hosts a holiday shopping market dedicated to celebrating Christmas in a sustainable and ecological way.
The Wunder Mrkt at Spirit De Milan offers a unique Christmas Market experience in an industrial space with themed decorations, stalls selling vintage and second hand clothing, designer and artisan crafts, along with dining and music!
For more information on all the ways to celebrate Christmas in Milan, visit the city’s official tourism site.
Bergamo: The Renaissance beauty
Less than an hour northeast of Milan, Bergamo is often overlooked in lieu of its flashier neighbor. Bergamo is unique in that it has both upper and lower “cities”. The lower district, Città Bassa, is the newer part of the city, with more modern architecture, restaurants, shopping, and a train station. Città Alta, the upper district, with fortified walls, meandering cobblestone streets, and medieval buildings, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and features three stunning churches: the Renaissance Duomo di Bergamo, the Romanesque Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, and the Cappella Colleoni, a 15th-century funerary turned chapel.
Bergamo’s main Christmas market is held in Città Bassa, at Piazza Matteotti. The market is small, but has everything you could ask for! Take in the sights and smells of traditional Italian and Lombardian specialties such as Panettone, Pan d’Oro, and Torrone, and wander among rows of picture-perfect wooden craft stalls, all under the shadow of the 30-meter tall ferris wheel.
After you’ve explored the lower city, take the steps, bus, or funicular up to Città Alta for even more Christmas magic! Make your way through the picturesque streets to Piazza Vecchia, where you’ll discover a forest of brightly-lit Christmas trees, nativity scenes and other artistic representations of Italian Christmas traditions. If you time your visit right, you may even be able to catch a musical performance inside the Bergamo Cathedral.
Turin: Architecture and Art
Torino is a beautiful city, known for its Baroque architecture and Art Nouveau style. Rich in history and culture, it boasts a collection of royal museums and palaces designated as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Its historic center is a cultural experience in itself, with portico-lined streets, high-end shopping, and cafes serving up Aperitivo cocktails and iconic coffee drinks.
A walk through Torino’s streets during the Christmas season offers over-the-top decorations, extravagant window displays, a life-size advent calendar, and contemporary art installations. “Luci d'artista”, an annual event that showcases light displays such as constellations, oversized ornaments and classic Christmas themes, lights up the streets, piazzas and city parks throughout the city center.
Torino’s traditional Christmas market is in Piazza Castello, with a huge Christmas tree as the centerpiece, surrounded by wooden chalets offering handmade crafts and food specialities. For a unique experience, visit Torino’s Palazzina di Caccia di Stupinigi, for what is called “Natale è Reale” (Christmas is real). Shop among the stalls of artisan and designer crafts located inside the Royal Stables, visit an Elf Village, write a letter to Santa Claus in his home studio, take pictures in the Christmas selfie area, sample street food, or explore the palace museum. Delight at the mechanical nativity scene and participate in the lively Christmas Shows. It’s fun for the whole family!
For more information on all the ways to celebrate Christmas in Torino, visit the city’s official tourism site.
Verona: A step back in time
With Christmas spirit channeled directly from its sister city of Nuremburg, Germany, Verona has a medieval charm that provides the perfect landscape for a magical Christmas experience. The main markets at Piazza dei Signori and the Courtyard of the Mercato Vecchio are tucked away in the heart of Verona’s historic center, with other, smaller markets waiting for you around every corner and through each stone archway.
Get lost in time as you wander between markets hidden in walled piazzas, exploring artisan craft stalls and discovering traditional Italian and German delicacies. Sample chocolates and liqueurs, gorge yourself on grilled sausages and Bavarian-style pretzels, and indulge in sweet confectioneries and Verona’s famous christmas cakes! Then wash it all down with a mug of ice cold craft ale or steaming hot vin brulé.
The Christmas magic of Verona doesn’t stop at the markets - the entire historic center is decorated with twinkling lights, sparkling trees, and festive decor everywhere you look. So when you’ve had your fill of food, drink and crafts, take your shopping to the next level and venture further into Verona’s shopping district.
For more information on celebrating Christmas in Verona, check out the city’s official site.
Bressanone (Brixen): The jewel of South Tirol
Did you know Italy has Christmas markets that will make you feel as if you're in Germany? Not that there’s anything wrong with an Italian Christmas market that feels like Italy, but there's something about German Christmas markets that make me feel all warm and tingly inside. Bressanone is one of the most charming cities in northern Italy during Christmastime. There is just one main Christmas market, located at the Piazza del Duomo, but the entire historic center is glittering with festive holiday decorations that give a truly magical feeling.
Bressanone, also known as Brixen, is located in South Tirol, a part of Italy with a unique and interesting history. The entire Tirol region belonged to the Austro-Hungarian Empire for over 500 years. After the first world war, it was divided into two parts. North Tirol continued to be a part of Austria, while South Tirol became part of Italy. Due to the influence of both Austrian and Italian cultures, many cities in Tirol speak Italian and German, and most of them even have a different name in each language.
You can also find this influence in the food served at South Tirol's Christmas markets! From local liqueurs to luxury chocolate, Bavarian-style bretzels, German bratwurst, and Austrian apple strudel. Don't forget about a huge range of confectioneries, sausage sandwiches and steaming-hot pearà, a creamy sauce served with pork sausage and rustic bread. And to wash it all down, indulge in a mug (or two) of steaming hot Glühwein, known as vin brulè in Italy.
For more information on the Christmas market in Bressanone/Brixen, check out the city’s official site.
Bolzano (Bozen): Gateway to the Dolomites
Bolzano (Bozen in German) is the capital of South Tirol, and claims to have the largest Christmas market in Italy. It's difficult to know for sure, but it does fill the entire Piazza Walther, or Waltherplatz. With market stalls lining the perimeter and zigzagging across the center, there is certainly no shortage of food, drinks, or crafts to be found here.
The market is as picturesque as you can imagine, with an enormous monument to Walther Von der Vogelweide standing on one end, surrounded by sparkling Christmas trees. On the opposite end, a lifesize nativity scene sits alongside a decorated tree that stands at least 30 feet tall, with the Gothic Bolzano Cathedral as a backdrop. If you wanted to create a movie set with a Christmas market, this would be the perfect model!
As you walk up and down the rows of brightly decorated stalls, the aroma of classic German Christmas market food beckons you to sample a little bit of everything. Most of the food has two names, one in German and one in Italian. Some of them even combine the two, such as wurstel con pane (sausage with bread). You'll find throwbacks to the area's Austro-Hungarian history with dishes like goulash, classic Austrian apple strudel, and Bavarian pretzels that come in any form you can imagine: salted, sprinkled with sugar, dipped in chocolate, or even sliced in half and filled with ham and cheese.
For more information on Christmas markets in Bolzano/Bozen, check out the city’s official site.
Selva di Valgardena: A mountain Christmas
If you’re dreaming of a mountain getaway during the Christmas holidays, look no further than the Dolomites (Dolomiti in Italian), the rocky southern Alps that span across the border of Italy and Austria. Snow-capped peaks in the distance and ski slopes at the edge of this tiny village create a picturesque scene worthy of any Christmas card.
One of the many reasons you’ll fall in love with the Christmas market here is the craft stalls. Even though it's a small market, the ornaments, trinkets, toys, scarves, hats, jewelry and leather goods tempt you at every turn. Sample traditional Italian, Tyrolian, Bavarian and Austrian dishes, then warm your body and soul with a steaming spicy mug of Glühwein or a rich and creamy Bombardino. After you've eaten and drank to your heart’s content, stock up on homemade jams, cheeses, cookies, and chocolates to fill your stockings when you get back home.
For more information on experiencing the Mountain Christmas in Selva di Valgardena, check out the city’s official site.
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Check out some of the other articles on my European Destinations page or some of my Italian adventures below!
