Italy
Italia2 regions
Italy suits a market trip into the Alps that mixes German-speaking South Tyrol with Italian Trentino, and it runs late, with Bolzano's market open until Epiphany on 6 January 2027. The trade-off is distance. Italy's markets sit in the far north, a long train ride from Rome or Florence and closer to Innsbruck and Munich. Base yourself in Bolzano and the other South Tyrol markets are easy day trips.
How Italy keeps Christmas
- Babbo NataleBabbo Natale leaves the presents under the tree, and families open them on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day depending on the region. In older family tradition the Baby Jesus brought them.
- La BefanaLa Befana comes on the night of 5 January before Epiphany and brings sweets for good children and coal for the rest. These days the coal is usually black sugar candy.
- Santa LuciaIn Trentino and parts of Lombardy, the Veneto and Emilia-Romagna, Santa Lucia brings presents on the night of 12 to 13 December.
- St Nicholas (San Nicolò)Children in South Tyrol and Trentino get presents on the morning of 6 December. In South Tyrol St Nicholas arrives with the Krampus.
Italy's Christmas season runs from the Feast of the Immaculate Conception on 8 December to Epiphany on 6 January. The presepe is the nativity scene, and tradition traces it to the living crib St Francis of Assisi set up at Greccio in 1223. Churches and town squares build their own, and many families set one up at home.
The Christmas market came to Italy through South Tyrol. Bolzano's market on Piazza Walther began in the early 1990s as the first of its kind in Italy, and Merano, Brixen, Vipiteno and Bruneck followed with their own. Trento started its market in 1993. In 2026 Bolzano's market opens at 17:00 on Thursday 26 November and stays until 6 January 2027. South Tyrol speaks German alongside Italian, and there the Krampus comes out with St Nicholas in early December.
Christmas Eve dinner is meatless by tradition, and going to Midnight Mass is common. Panettone from Milan and pandoro from Verona are the cakes Italians eat most at Christmas. The 8th of December, Christmas Day, 26 December for Santo Stefano and 6 January are all national public holidays, so plan for closed shops on each of them.
Italy by region
- South TyrolBolzano makes the practical base, because its station sits beside the old town and regional trains run out to Merano and Brixen. Couples who want a spa town go to Merano, where the stalls line the river and the thermal baths sit across the footbridge. These markets run on to 6 January 2027 with a break on Christmas Day, and Bolzano's square fills up at weekends.
- Trentino and Northern ItalyTrento fills Piazza Fiera and Piazza Mostra with 77 huts, and its market suits food lovers and anyone travelling over Christmas, because it opens on Christmas Day, when the South Tyrol markets stay shut. The organizer counted about a million visitors in 2024. Stay in Trento for an Italian-speaking city and ride the Brenner line north to Bolzano's market.
Market in Italy
Town in Italy
Quick answers about Italy
Is the Bolzano Christmas market open after Christmas?
Yes. Bolzano's tourism office says the 2026 market opens on 26 November and stays until 6 January 2027, so you can still visit between Christmas and Epiphany.
What is closed in Italy over Christmas?
The 8th of December, Christmas Day, Santo Stefano on 26 December and Epiphany on 6 January are national public holidays. Expect most shops and offices to close on those days.
Who brings the presents in Italy?
In Italy, Babbo Natale or La Befana or Santa Lucia or St Nicholas brings the presents. Babbo Natale leaves the presents under the tree, and families open them on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day depending on the region. In older family tradition the Baby Jesus brought them.
When do the Christmas markets run in Italy?
In Italy, the market on Bolzano's Piazza Walther opens on 26 November 2026 and stays until 6 January 2027, and Italy keeps Christmas from 8 December through Epiphany on 6 January.