December Festivals and Holidays in Italy

Florence Noel

Montecatini Terme, located just northeast of Florence in the Tuscany region of Italy, now plays host to the annual Florentine tradition of Florence Noel, a family event with lots of children's activities including the house of Babbo Natale, Father Christmas. Festivities start at the end of November, run through early January, and include a nativity village, food and chocolate sampling, and a variety of live and recorded music.

Wild Boar Festival

The wild boar festival (Suvereto Sagra del Cinghiale) in the medieval Tuscan town of Suvereto, in the Livorno province, is a two-week festival starting at the end of November and lasting through December 8, when there's a big feast.

Besides wild boar, you'll find other products from the area, including wine, olive oil, and honey, and the festival includes people in medieval costume and medieval competitions, so it's still a great event even if you don't care for boar.

Perugia Christmas Festival

Located in La Rocca Paolina, the city's historic 16th-century fortress, this huge market features a wide variety of food and crafts, as well as workshops for adults and children. It runs early December through early January in Perugia, the capital of Umbria.

Saint Barbara Day

The highlight of the week-long celebration in honor of Saint Barbara is December 4 in the Sicilian town of Paterno on the slopes of Mount Etna volcano, and afterward, there is a parade where the nativity scene is erected. 

Saint Barbara is the town's patron saint and the protectress of firemen and firework maker; she has been called upon many times as a protection against Mount Etna's eruptions.

Saint Nicolas Feast Day

This Christian festival is celebrated December 6 in many places in the Abruzzo region with traditional loaves of bread and taralli (hard, round biscuits) often enjoyed with wine. Saint Nicholas is known as the bringer of gifts, and grandfathers dress up as the Saint to give gifts (or "coal") to children.

There are special events all around Italy to commemorate the Saint Nicolas Feast Day, but girls from around the country come to the Basilica di San Nicola in Bari to pay respect to the patron saint of young women wanting to get married.

Festa di San Nicolò

Located on Murano Island in Venice is a week-long celebration for San Nicolo, the patron saint of glass blowers complete with a procession on the water December 6.

Elsewhere, in the village of Val di Fassa on December 5 and 6, San Nicolò, the protector of children, along with two angels and Krampus, will hand out gifts after making sure each child has been nice the previous year.

Saint Ambrogio Day

Celebrated December 7 in the Sant'Ambrogio area of Milan, Saint Ambrogio Day honors the patron saint of Milan. The day begins with a special church service at one of the city's oldest churches, Basilica of Sant'Ambrogio. Then, stalls are set up in the neighborhood—called the Oh Bej! Oh Bej! street market—selling a variety of local food and drinks as well as art and crafts.

Feast Day of the Immaculate Conception

Falling on December 8, the Feast Day of the Immaculate Conception is a national holiday in Italy and is celebrated throughout the country, especially in churches, which hold special masses. Although government offices and banks are closed, many stores stay open for holiday shopping. 

In any case, you'll find parades, feasts, and music in many places, and in the Abruzzo region, it's often celebrated with bonfires and traditional singing while Rome celebrates with floral wreaths and a ceremony at the Spanish Steps presided over by the Pope. 

Saint Lucia Day

December 13 is celebrated in many Italian towns with Saint Lucia Day, a full-on celebration honoring the patron saint of blindness. One of the biggest celebrations takes place in Sicily where the city of Siracusa holds a huge parade carrying the saint on a golden coffin to the Church of Saint Lucia, and on December 20 there is another parade to return her to the crypt. There are celebrations all week and thousands of pilgrims come to Siracusa, and the festivities end with a big fireworks display over the harbor.

Saint Stephen's Day

The day after Christmas is a national holiday in Italy called Saint Stephen's Day. Whereas Christmas Day is time spent at home with family, Saint Stephen's Day is a time to walk the streets and visit nativity scenes, offering donations to the local churches. Some locals visit hospitals while others hold processions dedicated to Saint Stephen.