tcreath

We will be in Rome the first week in December, and I'm hoping that there may be a Christmas market somewhere in the city. Is the city decorated for Christmas? I have done a search but I am only finding information about Rome on/around Christmas.

Thanks!
Tracy

tcreath

I was continuing my searches and it seems as if there is a Christmas Market in Piazza Navona. Has anyone been to this market? I'm assuming its worth checking out?

thanks!
Tracy

Grinisa

There is a large Christmas market set up in the Piazza Navona. It may not go up until the Feeast of St. Nicholas, which is either Dec. 5 or 6.

tcreath

Thank you Grinisa. I did a couple of searches on Yahoo and I believe you are right. We will be leaving on the 5th so it looks like we will have to miss the market. Thank you for the post!

Tracy

TopMan

Please come back and tell us they were selling something BESIDES those little straw ornaments you seem to see in every single "Christmas Market" in Germany and that they had at least one thing that was Italian and not "Made in China."

Sally

My favorites at Piazza Navona Market are the very attractive Fontanini Nativity figures available there for half the price they sell for in the United States. Befanas( Christmas witches) are available in great variety and are a lot of fun to give as presents in the US.

We also like to go to the Fiera di Roma which is a huge food and craft fair. I believe it is on Via Cristo Colombo. The crafts are not that great, but the food is wonderful. You can taste free samples of everything from truffles, all kinds of candy, cookies, cheese,wine, etc. It feels like a large party! Google to check on the dates and hours.

We were in Rome the last two Decembers and will be there again this year. We are going to Assisi Dec. 5 for a few days and will be in Rome December 8-14.

Rome is decorated with strings of tiny white lights strung across the streets. Last year there was a large and very interesting exhibit of nativity( Presipio ?) scenes from all over Italy in the church close to Piazza di Popolo. I'd have to look up the name of the church.

You might google "Rome Christmas( or December) events" for more information.

Have fun, maybe we'll see you there.

rjohnsto

Ditto everyone's comments on the Christmas market in Piazza Navona. Even if it's not up yet during the week of your trip, I think that you'll find the city both beautiful and full of Christmas spirit. The streets around the Spanish steps are decorated, as are Via Coronari and other streets around Piazza Navona. My wife and I have been to Rome in December every year for the past 5 years, and it's become sort of a pilgrimage. I think you're going to love it.

whoknew

We were in Rome last December from the 5th through the 11th. They do have a Christmas market in the Piazza Navona...I was not overly impressed. Lots of cheesy junk "made in China" (sorry Topman). The bufanas (Christmas witches) were the best buy. There are several sizes and price ranges, but you'll have to search the booths carefully. As a side note, the piazza itself and the fountains are a bit diminished by all the booths, and it was hard to appreciate the size and grandeur that I remembered from the previous time I was there in the fall. The city workers were just beginning to string the lights up along the streets, so we didn't have the opportunity to see what it would look like closer to the actual holiday, but the street on which the Hard Rock Cafe is located (the name escapes me) was beautiful with the trees decorated in white lights. Overall, I didn't see the crass commercialism seen here in the States (and it was a welcome relief). We did do some shopping in Rinascimente, a department store that did have some good buys.

As a clothing note, dress in warm layers that you can remove. The mornings were very, very cold, but if the sun was out we quickly got too warm while walking. It was often stifling hot inside the buildings. It rained quite a bit while we were there, and every night we had an absolutely icy wind that made these two Californians extremely happy to have hats, gloves and scarves.

Overall, I loved the crispness in the air (plus all those roasted chestnuts,mmmm...), the fewer tourists, most of which seemed to be European (as opposed to Japanese or American), and we wouldn't hesitate to go back to Rome at that time of year.

Steve_James

Tracy - The main Xmas market is the annual 'Natale Oggi' market at the Fiera di Roma, Via C.Colombo which Sally mentioned.

This year it's open from 4-12 Dec.

There are stalls from all around the world.

Hope this helps ...

Steve

tcreath

Thank you everyone for your replies! We were in Rome in March and loved it so much that we are already going back. I have never been to Europe during the holiday season, and Rome sounds like it will be lovely.

whoknew, thank you for the clothing/weather tips! We are from St. Louis, and from what I understand the averages are warmer in Rome than here in St. Louis in December. Still, I was wondering about the mornings/evenings and how cold it gets, so we will definitely take your advice.

Thanks again!
Tracy

janetele

We were able to visit the Christmas market at Piazza Navonna last year. They had lots of nativity figurines and accessories, etc. Also, sweatshirts, paintings, and lots of activites. The outdoor restaurants were open as well, with heaters in place. It was very lovely to put you in the Christmas mood.
Enjoy!!

LoveItaly

tcreath, you may not have time for this but if you would like to take a day trip to Naples the Via San Gregorio Armeno is famous for their Nativity Scenes. This is a famous market and Italians from all over Italy will visit Naples for this market.