What do Italians do at Christmas? Food, family and faith lie at the heart of the season, alongside customs that can look quite different across the country. Nativity scenes, long meals, midnight Mass for some families and the arrival of La Befana all have their place in Christmas traditions in Italy.
The celebrations stretch beyond 25th December, running through the Immacolata on 8th December and ending on Epiphany, 6th January. Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year each bring their own food, rituals and regional habits.
- How Christmas is celebrated in Italy
- The Italian Christmas Tree
- The presepe: Italy’s nativity-scene tradition
- Christmas gifts in Italy: who brings them?
- La Befana: Epiphany in Italy
- Christmas Eve fish dishes and the Feast of the Seven Fishes
- Traditional Italian Christmas food
- New Year traditions in Italy
- What Christmas is called in Italy
- Where to spend Christmas in Italy
How Christmas is celebrated in Italy
Christmas in Italy is not limited to Christmas Day. The season commonly begins around 8th December, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, when many households put up their tree and presepe. It continues through Christmas Eve, Natale on 25th December, New Year and Epiphany on 6th January.
Family meals sit at the centre of the calendar. Some households gather for La Vigilia, the Christmas Eve dinner, while others reserve the biggest meal for Christmas Day lunch.
Religious observance remains important for many Italians too, particularly midnight Mass on Christmas Eve, though practices vary between families and regions.
The Italian Christmas Tree
The Christmas tree became part of Italian festive culture in the late 1800s when Queen Margherita of Savoy decorated a tree at Rome’s Palazzo del Quirinale. Italians quickly adopted the custom, and Christmas trees are now a standard feature of homes, town squares and shopping streets during the festive period.
When do Italians put up their Christmas tree?
Many families decorate on 8th December, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, and take decorations down after Epiphany on 6th January. These dates are widely observed, though households do not all follow the same timetable.
The presepe: Italy’s nativity-scene tradition
The nativity scene, or presepe, is one of the most recognisable Christmas traditions in Italy. The custom is associated with 1223, when St Francis of Assisi staged a living nativity at Greccio, in present-day Lazio, to represent the birth of Jesus
The tradition later developed particularly strongly in Naples, where elaborate handcrafted scenes became an important local craft. Today, the workshops of Via San Gregorio Armeno in Naples are famous for their handcrafted figurines ranging from traditional shepherds to modern characters.
In many homes, the figurine of baby Jesus is placed in the crib only on Christmas Eve, while the three Wise Men may be added closer to Epiphany.
Christmas gifts in Italy: who brings them?
Babbo Natale, Italy’s Father Christmas, is now the figure most children associate with presents on Christmas Day. Older regional customs still crop up in family stories and local celebrations. In parts of Lombardy and Veneto, for example, children may receive gifts from Santa Lucia on 13th December.
Gift-giving has never followed one single Italian rule. In some families, Gesù Bambino traditionally brought presents, while sweets or small gifts may also arrive with La Befana on Epiphany.
La Befana: Epiphany in Italy
La Befana is a folk figure associated with Epiphany on 6th January. She is usually portrayed as an elderly woman travelling on a broomstick, leaving sweets for well-behaved children and a lump of carbone dolce — black sugar candy — for those thought to have misbehaved.
The legend links her to the three Wise Men. After declining to join their search for the baby Jesus, she later set out with gifts, but could not find him. Her story remains part of Epiphany celebrations across Italy, especially in central regions such as Lazio and Tuscany
Christmas Eve fish dishes and the Feast of the Seven Fishes
Fish often appears on the Christmas Eve table in Italy, linked to the traditional Catholic practice of avoiding meat before a feast day. The meal is commonly called La Vigilia, and menus depend heavily on the region and the household.
The “Feast of the Seven Fishes” is particularly associated with Italian-American communities, rather than being a fixed nationwide Italian custom.
Southern Italian and coastal households may prepare several fish or seafood dishes on Christmas Eve, including baccalà (salt cod), eel, clams, squid or octopus. The number of dishes is not universal, and seven is only one of several numbers used in family traditions.
Traditional Italian Christmas food
Italian Christmas food changes markedly between regions, and even nearby towns can have different family menus.
Christmas Eve tends to feature fish in many Catholic households, while Christmas Day lunch often centres on pasta in broth, roast meat, stuffed pasta or dishes prepared for a long family gathering
Typical Christmas dishes by region
- Veneto: Baccalà alla vicentina, polenta, lesso with sauces
- Piedmont: Agnolotti and braised meats
- Valle d’Aosta: Carbonade valdostana
- Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol: Canederli, dumplings often served in broth
- Emilia-Romagna: Tortellini in brodo, passatelli
- Tuscany: roast guinea fowl or capon, depending on local family custom
- Campania: spaghetti with clams on Christmas Eve, minestra maritata in some areas
- Sardinia: culurgiones, malloreddus and local roast dishes
- Sicily: pasta con le sarde, sfincione in some local traditions, and seasonal sweets
Italian Christmas desserts
Panettone, pandoro, torrone, dried fruit and nuts are widespread across the country. Local desserts still matter, though, with households often adding regional cakes, biscuits or fried sweets to the table.
New Year traditions in Italy
New Year’s Eve dinner
New Year’s Eve, or Capodanno, is often marked by a late dinner, a toast at midnight and gatherings at home or in public squares. The details change by region, but food associated with luck and prosperity appears on tables across much of the country.
Italian New Year’s Eve traditions
- Fireworks remain common in many towns and cities
- Red underwear is traditionally associated with luck for the coming year.
- Midnight is usually marked with a toast, often with Italian sparkling wine.
- Throwing old objects from windows is a widely repeated New Year story, especially associated with Naples
Tombola
Tombola, a home-grown cousin of bingo, is often played over Christmas and New Year gatherings. In the Neapolitan version, each number has an association drawn from the Smorfia napoletana, a traditional dream-book system that adds plenty of family banter to the game.
What Christmas is called in Italy
In Italian, Christmas is Natale. The usual greeting is Buon Natale.
Italy’s regional languages add other forms, including Bon Natali in Sicilian and Bun Nadèl in Ladin-speaking parts of the Dolomites. Buon anno and Felice anno nuovo are used for the New Year.
Where to spend Christmas in Italy
Rome has large public displays, Christmas markets and Vatican celebrations, though accommodation and central restaurants can be expensive around the main dates.
Naples is the obvious choice for anyone interested in presepe craft, especially around Via San Gregorio Armeno. Bolzano and other towns in South Tyrol are popular for Alpine-style Christmas markets, while the Dolomites suit a winter break centred on mountain villages and skiing.
Smaller cities can feel more manageable during the festive period. Bologna, Verona, Turin, Lecce and Matera all have seasonal events.
Italy offers a stunning selection of destinations for a festive getaway, with each region showcasing its own customs, events and decorations.
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