During the month of December, Florence has a magical atmosphere. When Christmas gets close, you can feel it everywhere. The streets are full of Christmas lights, different for each neighborhood, making the city very colourful.

For several days, in the squares there are a lot of Christmas markets, where the stands offer many products: crafts, food and warm beverages and many others. Among these, one of the most famous market is of course the international Christmas market in Santa Croce, which is part of Florentine tradition, with its typical small wooden houses, where you can find handmade pieces and gastronomic specialities from all over the

world.

Another famous tradition is the big Christmas tree situated in Piazza Duomo, that is lighted during the official ceremony on December 8th, in occasion of the Immaculate Conception; next to the tree, on the church porch of Santa Maria del Fiore cathedral, is organized the Christmas nativity scene composed by handmade terracotta statues, which stays in the square until January 6th, Epiphany’s day, the last day of this magical holiday time.

Would you like to discover more about Italy and its culture? Check out our Italian culture courses!