Italian Christmas markets | Enjoy Food & Wine

Christmas markets in Italy

Christmas markets appear in the centres of the big Italian cities from north to south when the cold days begin and the cloud are heavy because of the snow.

Most of them are characterized by small houses made of wood , lights and a strong perfume of spices and roasted chestnuts that create a magical atmosphere. Of course, it is also the right occasion to do shopping and spend some moments together the people you love.

Christmas markets: history

It seems that the tradition of the Christmas markets became popular in 1400 in the area enclosed between Germany and Alsace. On Monday before Christmas of 1434 took place the Striezelmarkt, from the name of a German dessert. During this market, the local artisans used to display their works created for Advent.

The small creations were pretty expensive and far from the possibilities and far from the taste of the people, for this reason the first market attracted only the richer people. During the years, the merchants decrease the prices of the product for sale, attracting all the classes of the population.

In Italy, the Christmas Markets arrived in the recent years. Christmas market in Bolzano was born in 1990 even if the stalls of the artisans coloured the streets of the cities starting from the ‘70s. The tradition wants that all the objects displayed should be homemade, reason why the markets are able to give precious and magic moments to spend all together.

Worth visiting Christmas Markets

Christmas Markets are able to make the historical centres warm and welcoming.

In Alto Adige the biggest Christmas Market is the one in Bolzano, that was set for the first time in 1990 in the heart of the city, in Piazza Walther. At the moment there are around 80 exhibitors that propose ideas both craft made products like clothes/objects made of boiled wool and loden, or decorated candles, or food and wine products (Zelten with candied fruit, apple strudel, homemade biscuits).

The market in Trento is perfect for who is looking for original Christmas decoration and food and wine specialities. Each year it welcome more than 50.000 visitors and inside the market there is a section dedicated to the taste of typical products like strudel, treccia mochena, roasted cornmeal mush and the ancient recipes of the tradition. Among the drinks stands Mulled wine and Parampampoli.

Also Bressanone is animated by wood houses with craft nativity, wood sculptures, candles, objects made of steel and ceramic, but also lots of delicacies: krapfen, mushrooms, speck, gulasch, Tirtln stuffed with spinach.

In Rovereto it is possible to follow an itinerary to discover the origins of Christmas that, thanks to an interesting game of light and pictures, will take you in the typical place of the Nativity in the Holy Land: Betlemme and Beit Sahour.

In Merano, instead, the tourist can combine a walk among the stalls where there are felt slippers and hats, aromatic lamps, boiled wool and Thun objects, together with the visit of the city. Among the food and wine specialities there are apple and ricotta strudel and biscuits Lebkuchen.

In the other areas of Italy are smaller and less mittleuropean, but they are anyway worth visiting. We want to remind the Christmas Market of Sauris (UD), during the weekend of the Immaculate Conception. It covers the streets of the city with stalls with amazing craft products.