Waiting for Christmas is one of the most significant times of the year, and as the weeks pass, the atmosphere in homes and cities is filled with a special warmth, a magic of anticipation that pervades every space. But what makes the anticipation of Christmas so magical?
December brings with it the first Christmas lights, the main streets are filled with decorations that create an air of festivity and wonder. And on weekends, here come the first Christmas markets. In a city like Rome, it is easy to find them in the capital’s historic squares, increasingly numerous to complement the more traditional events.
- The Piazza Navona Christmas Market is one of the most famous and crowded in the city. It is particularly famous not only because it is located in the center of the city, but also because Romans have been buying both Christmas gifts and stockings for Epiphany here for decades. Traditionally, it operates from December 1 until Epiphany, and is the perfect place to browse the stalls or eat some freshly baked treats.
- The Christmas Market in Mazzini Square in the Prati district is a historic market full of stalls, where you can find handmade Christmas decorations, ceramics, art objects and local products, ideal for those looking for something unique to put under the tree.
- Eur Christmas Rome, in the Eur district from Dec. 1 to Jan. 6 there will be Christmas markets, also an ice skating rink will be set up, rides for the little ones, street food stands and, of course the stalls where you can buy handmade Christmas gifts.
- On the other hand, an event that has been repeated for a few years is the Christmas World, the large Christmas Village set up in Villa Borghese: here you can stroll among spectacular installations, thematic markets and enjoy international culinary specialties. Children can meet Santa Claus and try their hand at creative workshops. There will also be 11 new rides and an area entirely dedicated to ice: there will be theIce slide, a sleigh that goes down an ice slide at crazy speed; theIce Rink, a 900-square-meter skating rink; theIce bumper to try your hand at a go-kart race on ice; and, finally, a Snow village to experience the magic of snow in the city.
- Near the A24 highway, a few kilometers from Rome, in Lunghezza, you can access Santa’s Fantastic Castle: a fairy world that can make adults and children dream with a program of shows, special events, meetings with Santa, magic and acrobatics.
In Abruzzo, the magic of Christmas is already ignited with the arrival of the first snow of the season, which makes the atmosphere of the markets even more evocative. During this period, every Saturday and Sunday until January 6, it is possible to visit the Christmas markets of Roccaraso and Campo di Giove with the Trans-Siberian Railway of Italy, a historic train made up of wooden and metal carriages in the style of the 1930s and 1940s, furnished with leather sofas, that departs from Sulmona through snowy and silent landscapes, stopping at the two towns.
But also in many other mountain villages in Abruzzo, starting Saturday, Dec. 7, the lights of the markets were turned on, which with their little wooden houses transform themselves into real Christmas villages: Alba Fucens, Caramanico Terme, Calascio, Pescocostanzo, Spoltore, Stiffe, Roccascalegna, and L’Aquila are just some of the towns where you can spend a December weekend among stalls and shopping, enjoying local specialties.
