Since the late-Roman era, Christmas has been a much-celebrated holiday in Italy, although years ago when I lived in Milan and Tuscany, the city-wide decor played out on a relatively modest scale, at least compared to Manhattan, a place known for its razzle-dazzle approach to celebrating the season. In the last several decades, Italy has ratcheted up the holiday displays, embracing lavish illuminations and light shows, glamorous store windows, new and expanded Christmas markets, and lavishly decorated trees that complement traditional presepi, or nativity scenes.
Although some venues start in November, the Christmas season in Italy typically kicks off near or on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, December 8, and runs until January 6, the Feast of the Epiphany. (Both are national holidays.) Tuscany is one of the country’s especially festive regions with many markets and rich culinary traditions. Here’s a sampling of what to see and experience in Florence and other towns and cities in Tuscany this year.
Head to Florence’s Christmas tree lighting: Paola Vojnovic, an art historian specializing in the Renaissance and a guide in Florence, says that “Florence prides itself in Christmas decorations, with the most special moment being the lighting of the tree in front of the Duomo. This year the event is scheduled for Monday, December 8th, at 6 PM.”
Take in the Florence Lights Up displays: “The Ponte Vecchio becomes a canvas for video mapping with incredible works of art projected on it, accompanied by music,” says Vojnovic. Other city facades, like the the Palazzo Vecchio, are lit up too as part of the program (December 7 to January 7).
Seek out lesser-known holiday sights. The courtyard of Palazzo Medici Riccardi is another holiday location with statues, lights and Christmas tree, says Vojnovic. “In 1494 there was a great snowstorm, and this same courtyard was where Piero de’ Medici, son of Lorenzo [the Magnificent], called upon Michelangelo to make a snowman.” Needless to say, the snow sculpture melted and a unique art work vanished forever.
Go to a Christmas or seasonal market in Florence. The largest Christmas market, also known as the Weihnachtsmarkt, for its Germanic vibe, is in Piazza Santa Croce and runs through Dec. 21. (The earliest December markets originated in cities in medieval Austria and Germany). Dozens of wooden stalls offer an array of artisan products—ornaments and holiday decor, toys, clothing and food. “It’s actually my favorite lunch stop to get things hard to find in Florence like German delicacies, wonderful pretzels, and strudel,” says Vojnovic. “It is a fun way to get Florentines and tourists to the piazza, and a wonderful way to spend a Sunday afternoon.”
Another noteworthy holiday market is Mercato Nataleperfile, December 12-14, in the Palazzo Corsini, which raises money for the seriously ill and their families. Thirty exhibitors sell a variety of items including vintage clothing, home decor and food products.
Vojnovic says her favorite Florentine market is the [Indipendenza Antiquaria] in Piazza Indipendenza every third weekend of the month. “I search for long linen pieces that were used as towels. They usually bear beautiful, hand-embroidered initials of their [former] owners with lace on each end. I love to imagine the stories those objects could tell, of simpler, elegant times and the interesting individuals who used them, and also of those that made them.”
Explore the Christmas markets throughout Tuscany. (Most run through January 6 except where noted; start dates are indicated for events not already in progress.) Arezzo, the city of Renaissance painter Piero della Francesca, where the film Life is Beautiful was filmed, celebrates the 10th edition of the Città del Natale, an event that transforms the historic center into a festive mini-village with artisanal markets, food and wine stalls, light shows and installations, and video mapping for historic buildings.
Siena’s Christmas market in Piazza del Campo, December 6- 8,will have 160 exhibitors presenting handcrafted items for the home, Christmas decor, and food and wine. Santa gets his own castle, the Castello di Babbo Natale, in the famous medieval wine town of Montepulciano, with festively decorated rooms and activities for kids. A traditional Christmas market with many artisanal products takes place in the Piazza Grande close to the castle.
In Versilia, on the Tuscan coast, artist-haven Pietrasanta, hosts a Christmas market in Piazza Statuto and Piazza Crispi on weekends through December 21, along with light installations and concerts. In the seaside resort of Forte dei Marmi, famous for its weekly market year-round, the holiday market in Piazza Dante runs until January 1. Other markets to note: Prato (December 8 and 19–23); Lucca and Pisa (through January 6); and Empoli’s Città del Natale, which runs to January 11, with holiday markets taking place on weekends and from December 20-24.
Discover the Christmas paintings in the Uffizi. This landmark museum has created an itinerary of Nativity-themed art works, which include masterpieces by Leonardo da Vinci, Domenico Ghirlandaio and Simone Martini. Also not to miss is the Fra Angelico exhibit at the Palazzo Strozzi and Convent of San Marco (through January 25). The early Renaissance painter was named the patron saint of Catholic artists by Pope John Paul II.
Tour the top pastry shops in Florence to sample exceptional Tuscan desserts. In addition to such traditional favorites as ricciarelli almond cookies, and panforte, the dense fruit-and-nut cake (both are from Siena), try Panbriacone, a sweet bread soaked in liquor; cavallucci, a spice and nut cookie dating from the time of the Medicis; and copate, honey and almond sweets that originated in the Middle Ages. Seek out these and other treats at historic shops for Florentine dolci like Caffè Gilli (1733), Forno Ghibellina (1890), Antica Pasticceria Sieni (early 1900s), and Pasticceria Gualtieri (1933).
Sample panforte at the source. Go to Nannini for authentic panforte (and its precursor panpepato) and the atmospheric 19th-century Antica Drogheria Manganelli for panforte bianco and the spicier panforte nero.
Try some holiday offerings. Tuscany is known for its ribollita, pappardalle and bistecca, but during the holidays there are many other dishes to sample like cacciucco, a rich fish stew from Livorno often served on Christmas Eve. Crespelle alla Fiorentina, spinach and cheese crepes with a béchamel and tomato sauce that echo the season’s colors, and arista, a roasted pork loin, are other menu options to try. Not to miss: pagnottella di Natale, a sweet bread from the Maremma made with dried fruit and nuts, and lentil soup on New Year’s Eve (consumed after midnight) for good luck.
Enjoy a grand holiday lunch or dinner. Many places in Tuscany are closed on Christmas Day, but top hotel restaurants are pulling out the stops. The Lungarno Collection, the luxury hospitality group owned by the Ferragamo family, has dinners and lunches planned at its various restaurants from Christmas Eve to New Year’s Eve. Borgo San Jacopo, a Michelin-star restaurant in the Hotel Lungarno, offers a hard-to-beat setting overlooking the Arno and festive menus that give stylish twists on Italian culinary traditions. For the Vigilia di Natale (Christmas Eve), typically a fish-only meal, there are various dishes like fusilli with red prawns and baby squid or sea bass with herring caviar. For the Cenone di Capodanno (New Year’s Eve dinner), you can sample ravioli with porcini mushrooms and smoked eel, or beef short ribs, among other items.
At Irene, the restaurant in Rocco Forte’s Hotel Savoy, there are special menus from Christmas Eve to New Year’s Day, when you can welcome in 2026 with a lavish three-course brunch. The New Year’s Eve dinner starts at the hotel’s bar and finishes at the restaurant where items include ravioli with artichokes and prawns, and main courses like black truffle Wagyu fillet.
The menu at Onde in the Four Seasons Firenze for Christmas Eve dinner and Christmas Day lunch has options like ricotta and spinach gnudi or crusted sea bass, and for New Year’s Eve dinner, such dishes as egg-white fusilli with red prawns, and steamed lobster for a main course.