The Mercatini di Natale in Italy got their season under way over the weekend of 13 to 15 November 2026, with eleven markets opening simultaneously across the Lago di Garda region, Trentino, Piedmont, Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna. Verona follows on 20 November, the five original South Tyrolean Mercatini in Bolzano, Merano, Bressanone, Vipiteno and Brunico on 27 November, with Rome and most of the Campanian markets opening at the end of November and the beginning of December. In Naples, the famous crib street San Gregorio Armeno has been in full swing since 1 November; in Alberobello the lights between the trulli are lit on 1 December; and in Matera the Sassi are transformed into a living nativity scene. This overview arranges the Mercatini by region, from north to the islands.
Eleven markets to kick off the season: 13 to 15 November
The start of the 2026 season was marked on Friday, 13 November, by Riva del Garda and Arco in Trentino, San Candido in the Pustertal and Asti in Piedmont; on the Saturday, Govone, Rango, Pergine Valsugana, Florence, Arezzo and Grazzano Visconti near Piacenza followed suit. Eleven Mercatini to open the season, spread across five regions between the Alpine arc and the Apennines. Most of them run, according to Club delle Ricette , until 6 January 2027 and are free to enter. Only a handful of additional attractions, such as light shows or the Santa Claus house, charge an admission fee. The true high point of the season follows with the first Advent weekend at the end of November, when Trento, the South Tyrolean classics, Rome and the majority of the Campanian markets all open their doors.
Trentino, South Tyrol and Trento in the Alpine region
The Trentino is the strongest opener of the 2026 season. In Riva del Garda, the "Di Gusto in Gusto" market opened on 13 November on Piazza Garibaldi and Piazza Cesare Battisti, offering regional specialities, mulled wine and live choral performances. Arco runs in parallel with a Habsburg flair set against rocky cliff faces; Rango opens in old farmhouses, cellars and alleyways (shuttle bus five euros return); and Pergine Valsugana features stalls along Via Pennella. The five South Tyrolean classics follow on 27 November and run until 6 January 2027. According to the Südtiroler Tourismusverband , Bolzano, Merano, Bressanone, Vipiteno and Brunico form the "Mercatini Originali Alto Adige" network. Bolzano, now in its 35th edition, is the oldest Christmas market in Italy, with Walther-Platz as its main stage; Merano places its stalls along the Passeggiata Lungo Passirio in front of the Kurhaus. Trento traditionally launches a week before South Tyrol: opening on 20 November 2026, closing on 6 January 2027, with stalls spread across Piazza Fiera, Piazza Mostra and Piazza Cesare Battisti. All are located in Trentino-Alto Adige.
Veneto, Friuli and Milan
The best-known destination in Veneto is the Christmas market in Verona on Piazza Bra, modelled on the Nuremberg Christkindlmarkt. According to Cosedicasa , it runs in 2026 from 20 November to 27 December with around 60 exhibitors, open Sunday to Thursday 10:00 to 21:00, Friday and Saturday until 23:00; the organisers are Comitato per Verona, Confcommercio and Confesercenti Verona. Venice follows with its market on Campo Santo Stefano in the Sestiere San Marco, which traditionally runs from late November to early January, supplemented on the mainland by Mestre on Piazza Ferretto. In Friuli, the Christmas market in Trieste lights up the area between Via delle Torri, Piazza del Ponterosso and Piazza della Borsa, with an ice rink at Ponterosso as an added attraction. Milan's traditional Christmas market "Oh Bej Oh Bej", held since the 16th century around the feast of Sant'Ambrogio on 7 December at the Castello Sforzesco, is joined by the return of the "Villaggio delle Meraviglie" to the Giardini Montanelli, complete with ice rink, Santa Claus house and street food.
Piedmont, Liguria and Emilia-Romagna
In Piedmont , Asti opened on 13 November on Piazza Alfieri with over 150 wooden stalls (10:00 to 20:00, until 20 December); Govone launched on 14 November with the "Magico Paese di Natale" around the 18th-century Castello Reale, featuring over 50 stalls and the "Albero del tempo" crafted from lace doilies. In Liguria, the Christmas markets in Genoa are concentrated around Piazza Matteotti and Piazza De Ferrari, supplemented by smaller markets along the Riviera di Levante, including Santa Margherita and Rapallo. In Emilia-Romagna, Grazzano Visconti near Piacenza opened on 14 November: the medievally styled village transforms itself until 6 January 2027 into a Christmas village with a market, Santa Claus house and light installations. Village entry is free; a Christmas Ticket costs 13 euros.
Tuscany, Umbria and the Marche
The Toscana offers two large-scale events. In Florence , over 50 Tyrolean-style wooden stalls have been standing in front of the Basilica di Santa Croce since 14 November, according to Visit Florence , open until 20 December, free admission. Arezzo features a Tyrolean village on Piazza Grande and a Christmas Village in Parco Il Prato with a big wheel and ice rink. In Umbria , the great Christmas tree on Monte Ingino above Gubbio shines from 7 December until early January as one of the most iconic symbols of the Italian festive season; the market on Piazza Quaranta Martiri runs from late November to early January. Perugia hosts "Natale alla Rocca" in the underground Rocca Paolina, while Assisi opens its historic centre with nativity scenes, music and guided town walks. In the Marche , Candelara in the province of Pesaro is renowned for handcrafted candles and moments when all lighting is switched off; Mombaroccio sets up stalls along the main street; and Urbino stages the Festa del Duca d'Inverno with a living Renaissance nativity scene.
Rome and Lazio
The Roman season runs throughout the whole of December. According to Sky TG24 , the historic Mercatino on the Piazza Navona opens on 1 December 2026 and runs until 6 January 2027, with wooden stalls, crafts, Christmas decorations and nativity figures; on Epiphany, the Befana arrives accompanied by the Vigili del Fuoco fire brigade. Christmas World in the Villa Borghese opens from 28 November to 10 January, with an ice rink, fairground rides and daily parades. EUR Christmas Rome starts on 27 November with more than 100 exhibitors, an ice rink and a giant wheel approximately 50 metres tall; the lights are switched on on 8 December. The Christmas Garden in the Orto Botanico is illuminated daily from 17.00 to 23.00 from 19 November to 10 January. In Lazio , the trail leads from Rome to Greccio, where Francis of Assisi set up the first nativity scene in Christian history in 1223 and where living nativity scenes are still performed to this day, and on to the Christmas Village in Viterbo , with a living nativity and a VR sleigh ride.
Abruzzo and Campania
The Abruzzo region contributes Avezzano in the province of L'Aquila, which runs its Christmas village from 8 December to 7 January, and L'Aquila itself with the Fiera della Magia from 11 to 14 December. The programme in Abruzzo is complemented by presepi viventi in the mountain villages. The nativity street of San Gregorio Armeno in Naples runs longer than any other Italian Christmas market: according to Trova Napoli , the pastorari workshops between Via dei Tribunali and Via San Biagio dei Librai have been open since 1 November and continue until 10 January 2027. For 2026, nativity figures inspired by the America's Cup 2027 have been announced; admission is free. The largest market in the Naples area is Pietrarsa at the National Railway Museum near Portici, running from 28 November to 6 January (8 or 12 euros). Further highlights include the Mercatini del Vomero (23 November to 7 January) and the city-wide programme "Altri Natali" across all ten districts, from 8 December to 10 January. In Bacoli, the neighbouring municipality of Pozzuoli , the "Città del Natale" at Fusaro lights up with illuminations and video mapping across the Phlegraean Fields. Vico Equense is staging "L'Incanto del Natale" for the eleventh time. In Pompeii , the Mercatino di Natale in front of the town hall runs from 5 to 23 December. For Campania as a whole, Napolike lists around two dozen mercatini and Christmas villages.
Basilicata, Apulia and the Islands
Southern Italy's most internationally recognised Christmas attraction is to be found in the Sassi di Matera. The Christmas Village on Piazza Vittorio Veneto typically runs throughout December and is linked to the Presepe Vivente nei Sassi, a living nativity set within the cave dwellings of the Basilicatacapital Matera. In Apulia , Alberobello is the focal point of the Christmas season: the lights between the trulli are lit on 1 December, the Christmas market on Piazza del Popolo runs from 6 December to 6 January and is linked to the Presepe Vivente in the Rione Aia Piccola, where more than 200 performers demonstrate traditional crafts. There is also the "Presepe di Luce", with projections onto the trulli, free of charge. Further markets in the Valle d'Itria can be found in Locorotondo and Cisternino, while the Adriatic cities of Bari and Lecce open their town centres to Christmas villages. In Calabria, on Sardinia and on Sicily , mercatini are smaller in scale but rich in culture: Taormina sets up stalls along the Corso Umberto, Cagliari on Piazza Yenne, Alghero with its distinctive Catalan influence, alongside extensive presepi viventi in Sicilian mountain villages and along the Costa degli Dei in Calabria.
Prices, Travel and What Visitors Should Know
Admission to all the main markets is free; charges apply only to optional extras, such as the LUMAGICA light trail in the grounds of Schloss Trauttmansdorff in Merano (around 19.90 euros), the "Oops 2" show in Bressanone (from 13 euros), Pietrarsa in Portici (8 or 12 euros) and Grazzano Visconti (Christmas Ticket, 13 euros). From the end of November, South Tyrol's transport networks again offer the "Mercatini in treno" option, allowing all five original mercatini to be visited comfortably by rail. Verona is reachable by high-speed train from Milan in around 75 minutes, Florence lies on the A1 Autostrada del Sole, Rome is served by Fiumicino and Ciampino airports, and Naples is accessible via the A1 motorway and the metro lines towards Toledo and Università. San Gregorio Armeno is very busy at weekends; weekday mornings before 10.00 are generally the quietest times to visit. Drivers can reach Alberobello and Matera via the A14 Adriatica and the SS 100, and Taormina via Catania airport. Opening times are subject to change at short notice, so it is always worth checking the relevant organiser's website before travelling.
