A Guide to Spending Christmas in Rome in 2024

The holiday season is upon us, and by December, Rome will be will be buzzing. When you think of Christmas, Northern Europe might spring to mind at first, with its snow, Christmas markets, gingerbread, and mulled wine - but Rome doesn't snooze when it comes to celebrating the annual festivities.

The traditional festive season kicks off on December 8th with the Feast of the Immaculate Conception and concludes on January 6th with the Epiphany.

In this article, I'll guide you through our favorite things to do in Rome at Christmas. From Christmas Trees to folklore and food, we have you covered with our guide to Christmas in Rome.

1. Gaze up at the Christmas trees in St. Peter's Square and Piazza Navona

Christmas tree in Rome at the Colosseum

Did you know that Christmas trees are not a traditional part of an Italian Christmas? The idea is a Germanic import. Queen Margherita of Savoy was the first to introduce the Christmas tree to Rome when she erected one at the Palazzo del Quirinale in the 19th Century. Naturally, the fashion caught on, and by the 20th Century, it became much more commonplace, and most Italians have one in their homes today.

Also, prior to the 1980s, there was no Christmas tree at the Vatican. We can thank St. Pope John Paul II for putting up the first tree in St Peter's Square in 1982. John Paul II was, of course, of Polish origin, so it's only natural that he wanted to bring some of his Northern European heritage to the Vatican. Today, the tradition endures, with various European countries or Italian regions vying for the honor of donating the tree to the Holy See.

This year, you can see two large Christmas trees in Rome, one at Piazza del Popolo and the other in St. Peter's Square.

The tree at Piazza del Popolo replaces the traditional one at Piazza Venezia. Major construction work for the new metro has forced the city to move the tree. The 95-foot-tall tree will arrive in Piazza del Popolo at the end of November, and the lighting ceremony will be on December 8th until January 6th.

The tree at St Peter's Basilica is a donation from Val di Ledro in Italy's northern Trentino region. It's another behemoth at almost 100 feet tall. They will light the tree and unveil the Nativity at 5 pm on December 7th until January 12th.

2. Enjoy the Christmas Lights

Rome looks great at any time of year, but the city takes on an altogether more magical dimension when the Christmas lights go on to mark the beginning of the festive season on December 8th. The most spectacular tend to be found on Via del Corso , Rome's most important shopping street, and this year is no exception. A stunning tangle of silvery threads stretches across the rooftops above the street, suspended against the night sky as they snake their way for over a mile from Piazza del Popolo in the north to Piazza Venezia in the south.

To create the effect, fully 190 kilometers of (energy efficient) fiber-optic cable was installed, along with 10 big screens beaming iconic moments of Roman film history into the night sky. The golden lights and chandeliers studding nearby Via dei Condotti are no less impressive, marvelously framed by the designer stores lining the street, with the Spanish Steps completing the scene in the distance. In fact, everywhere you go in the historic center this Christmas, the streets and squares are beautifully illuminated, from Via del Babuino to Via dei Coronari, from Piazza Navona to Campo dei Fior i. Take a midnight stroll through deserted streets to get the full-on Roman Christmas effect.

3. Admire Rome's Nativity Scenes , or Traditional Presepio de Natal

For many Italians, the most important Christmas decoration is not the Christmas tree or festive lights; it's the traditional nativity scene or "presepio." Presepio means "cradle" in Latin, a clue to the origin of this tradition.

Come Christmastime, there isn't a church in the city that won't boast its own nativity scene. Some are small and simple, others are grand Baroque affairs, but no two are the same.

A festive walk to tour the city's most famous presepi is a popular family activity at Christmas. You should definitely explore the city's myriad nativities if you're in Rome during the Holidays.

The history of the presepio goes back 800 years to the 13th Century and St. Francis of Assisi. After being inspired by his travels to the Holy Land, he asked the Pope, Honorius III, if he could recreate the story of the birth of Christ in a cave near his monastery in Greccio, about 60 miles from Rome. His idea was to use it as a teaching aid: he wanted to teach the mostly illiterate population about the miracle of Christ's birth.

4. Indulge in Some Traditional Roman Christmas Treats

Of course, what is the festive season without some tasty festive treats?!

The big question at this time of the year is: "Are you team Pandoro or team Panettone?" It's a perennial argument in Italian households come the holiday season. And the answer "I like both" will not be accepted! However, these sweet yeasted breads are not the only delicacies to watch out for in Rome at Christmas. Follow your nose, and you'll find chestnuts roasting at some of the city's most famous piazzas, especially at the Spanish Steps and Piazza Navona. Enjoy this relatively healthy, savory treat because the season's other offerings are tooth-achingly sweet! Rome, as the capital of Italy, is a melting pot of culture and cuisine.

Look out for Panpepato and Panforte, two medieval spiced fruit and nut cakes. Incredibly dense and flavorful, they were designed to be long-lasting and portable food, ideal during the Crusades. If you want to know the difference between the two, panpepato is strongly flavored with chocolate and black pepper, while panforte is milder without the pepper and chocolate.

A personal favorite of mine is Torrone. This sugar bomb is an alchemic mix of honey, sugar, egg whites, and toasted almonds or other nuts. It's usually shaped either into a rectangular tablet or a round cake and sealed with edible rice paper. Some say the recipe dates back to ancient Rome; others claim it's a 16th-century recipe. Popular around Europe under different names, it's often known abroad as nougat. You can find two different types: the hard version, cooked for 10 hours, or the softer version, which is much kinder on my fillings.

What do the Romans eat for dinner? It's a gut-busting two-day event with leftovers to spare! The big feast usually happens on Christmas Eve - when the Italians, like many in Europe, enjoy a big fish dinner. It's not quite the American Feast of the Seven Fishes, but there's a huge variety of fresh seafood. Christmas Day is more relaxed, and while the meal usually features meat, turkey is not a common fixture. The Italians love tortellini in brodo, which usually kicks off the meal after an epic antipasto, of course, and then the meat course varies from region to region and family to family. Lamb, beef, pork, game, chicken or capon are all popular.

The feasting continues in the following days, with Italian mamas and nonnas priding themselves on using up the leftovers in lasagnas and frittatas.

New Year's Eve has its own tradition; Italians love to eat lentils and cotechino, a type of sausage - the lentils represent coins and good fortune for the new year.

5. Enjoy in Some Seasonal Shopping in Rome's Historic Center

If you're in the Eternal City over the Christmas period, it's a fairly good bet that you'll be doing some seasonal shopping. The best place to start is on Via del Corso, where big-name chains and smaller boutiques cheerily rub shoulders on Rome's premier shopping street. If you're looking to splash the cash, then nearby Via Condotti and Via del Babuino should be your first ports of call, where lux designers Gucci, Bulgari, Louis Vuitton, and all the rest await.

Whether you're planning on making any purchases or not, make sure to stop in at Galleria Sordi a stone's throw to the south. This spectacular art-nouveau shopping arcade is magnificently decorated every Christmas and is the perfect spot to really get in the festive mood. The jumble of medieval alleyways around bustling Campo de' Fiori, meanwhile, is full of smaller-scale (and more affordable) boutiques.

If you're keeping things eco-friendly this Christmas, then head instead to the trendy Monti neighborhood, where an array of brilliant vintage shops will help you keep your seasonal shopping carbon footprint to a minimum. Our favorite spots to bag a retro bargain are Kingsize, Pifebo, Vesti di Messalina, and Humana.

6. Take in a Christmas Concert in Spectacular Surroundings

Nothing says Christmas quite like some seasonal music heralding the arrival of the Messiah, and if you’re in the Eternal City over the festive period, you’re in luck. Rome probably boasts more spectacular historic churches and palaces than anywhere else on earth, and many throw open their doors for recitals of everything from choral numbers to operatic arias and orchestral ensembles to ring in the return of the king. The soaring Renaissance church of San Marcello al Corso is one of the best places to take in a concert in atmospheric surroundings, and their events are free, too. The magnificent Renaissance churches of San Lorenzo in Damaso and Santa Maria dell’Anima, meanwhile, will be hosting Christmas concerts on December 20th and 21st, respectively.

For something a little more full-on, check out the Baroque New Year’s concert at Sant’Agnese in Agone on Piazza Navona - a fitting slice of the 17^th-century in one of the era’s most impressive monuments. Equally suggestive is the series of operatic recitals being held in the glittering Baroque halls of the Galleria Doria Pamphilj as well as the unique Christmas concert held in the eerie surroundings of the Capuchin bone crypt on Via Vittorio Veneto.

7. See the Colosseum, Vatican, and More – Without the Crowds!

All that eating, drinking, and festive cheer can take its toll, so it's a good idea to walk off the excess with a trip or two around the Eternal City's magnificent monuments and galleries. The good news is that Rome's archaeological sites and museums will generally all be open throughout the Christmas period, with the obvious exceptions of Christmas Day on December 25th ^and New Year's Day on January ^1st. December and January are, in fact, the ideal times to plan your visit to the Colosseum, Roman Forum, Vatican, and the rest, where visitor numbers are a tiny fraction of what they are at other times of the year. The cooler weather makes a morning's traipse around the world's most extensive remains of antiquity a more than appetizing proposition.

For the perfect post-Christmas stroll, we recommend taking a trip out to the jaw-dropping ancient remains at Ostia Antica , an archaeological site that rivals Pompeii for the window it offers into the distant world of antiquity. It's wonderfully peaceful at this time of the year, and chances are you'll have the site virtually to yourself. What better way to walk off the Christmas calories?!

For 25 years, Through Eternity has been organizing itineraries showcasing the best of Rome led by our resident expert guides. If you're planning a visit to the Eternal City this year, be sure to get in touch to help plan your perfect trip!

Christmas in Rome: How to Ring in the Festive Season in the Eternal City