I have another friend stopping by, this time from France, to share a little Christmas in Provence. I'm welcoming Tuula, an American expat living in Provence. She is the author of the beautiful blog and travel site, Belle Provence Travels. On her site, Tuula shares much of magical Provence with us, while discovering out-of-the-way little villages and markets along the way. After meeting her virtually via our blogs, I had the great fortune of meeting Tuula in person during my trip to France in October. It was one of the highlights of my trip. She took me to little villages on hills, outdoor food markets, wine tasting and on several other culinary adventures - all of which you'll be hearing about soon. Today we're talking Christmas, as she shares a day at the Christmas market in Aix-en-Provence - and many of the treats on offer at the market. Enjoy!
Being an American living abroad certainly has its ups & downs, but undoubtedly one of the high points of residing in the beautiful land of France is the chance to experience the Christmas season... à la française.
What France may lack in splashy decorations (believe me, I really do miss my sparkly, pot-bellied Santa from home), it more than makes up for in simple sophistication. Holiday traditions in Provence, as in other French regions, are quite a subdued affair - full of elegant pine trees (les petits sapins), lots of twinkling white lights (think woodsy meets Coco Chanel), and thankfully, a Christmas market in almost every city.
Which brings us to perhaps one of the most quintessentially Provençal cities of all: Aix-en-Provence. It's difficult not to fall under the spell of this charming university town which somehow manages to do "high-brow" and "stone-washed village" all at the same time.
Having visited this southern gem on many an occasion, I can safely say Aix really shines during the holiday season - and nowhere is this more apparent than at the annual Christmas market. This past weekend, I braved the somewhat less-charming holiday crowds to shop the "snowy" chalets lining the main boulevard of Aix: Cours Mirabeau.
Representing not only Provençal specialties, including many of the key ingredients needed to make the famed 13 desserts of Christmas, the market was filled with traditional French favorites. Chocolates of all shapes & sizes, macarons, cookies (navettes from Marseille & calissons from Aix), mulled wine (vin chaud), and gingerbread - to be served beneath a huge slab of fois gras, of course.
This is a French Christmas after all...no skimping on taste or quality by any means. And if you ever happen to be this far dans le sud (in the south), you may just want to check out the Christmas market in my town. Oyster bar anyone?
"Gingerbread man" - Pain d'Epices vendor at the market
Calissons - Almond paste "cookies" from Aix in holiday colors
A French Christmas market isn't complete without macarons
Navettes - Cookies from Marseille
Buches de Noel
Boules de Mousse - in the shape of Christmas bells
Santons de Provence
*All photos in this post are courtesy of Tuula - Belle Provence Travels
"One cannot live on memories alone" (Non si vive di soli ricordi). That was the theme of this year's Eurochocolate festival. The festival, held yearly in the hilltop city of Perugia, is touted as Italy's biggest chocolate festival. I travel for chocolate, and the memories of this year's CioccolaTo in Turin were just not enough. I had to go, see and sample Eurochocolate for myself.
Big it was. Big name chocolate makers, both Italian and International, were there. Perugina, Lindt, Venchi, Caffarel, Milka, Motta, Novi, Eraclea, Toblerone, even Nestle (who owns Perugina), and many more chocolate makers and bakers had tents filled with chocolate!
The realization of the festivals immensity and popularity hit me when I arrived to find the 7:43am train from Rome to Perugia packed to standing room only. Standing the entire 2 plus hours, I could only imagine the lovely Autumn scenes outside the train window: the Umbrian valley in hues of green, orange and red, the stone churches and their bell towers rising above the hilltop towns.
I was rethinking my decision when the train finally pulled into Perugia's train station. There, we easily found both city buses (3 euros round-trip) and a choco-train (4 euros round trip) available to take us and the masses up the hill to the festival. During the ride, we circled our way up as gold and orange-leafed trees lined our way. Once in a while we caught views of the rolling hills and similarly colored Umbrian valley below us.
Possibly because it was the last Saturday of the 10-day festival, the festival was packed. Not only were there lots of people, but there was lots of chocolate, in many forms, to sample and buy. Five of the main piazzas in Perugia were filled with vendors' tents, and the streets that connected all these piazzas were also flanked with chocolate vendors.
When there are so many varieties of chocolate, one must try as many as possible, no? The thick hot chocolate was my favorite treat of the day. Eraclea served dark, milk and white hot chocolates so thick they easily held up the spoons. They also sold 32 different flavors of hot chocolate mix, which you could take home. I was happy to find gianduja in several forms from the Turin chocolatiers in attendance. Along with the gianduja, I purchased chunks cut from those slabs of chocolate studded with hazelnuts. It doesn't matter if it's dark, milk or gianduja chocolate holding the hazelnuts, I love them all.
Besides the hazelnutty goodness that is Baci from Perugina, I tried their Banana - dark chocolate in the shape of a banana with a banana cream inside. I was surprised that I liked it. Not too strong of a banana taste, it went well with the dark chocolate. And then there were churros and chocolate sauce. I mean, fried dough and chocolate, what's not to love? Many booths were giving samples away and much more generously than at the CioccolaTo Festival. The Novi vendor won my award for most friendly and most generous with the samples.
Chococard - We purchased a chococard for 6 euros and received 14 chocolate tastings with it. Along with the tastings, we were eligible for discounts off purchases at many other booths. The girl who sold us the card told us we could spot which booths had Chococard tastings by their long lines. She was right. In Ciobar's case, I thought I had stumbled upon an Occupy demonstration in Italy. I don't know how I managed to get through the mob without wearing any of my or someone else's hot chocolate, but I did.
Of the tastings/offers (called omaggi in Italian), I had several favorites. The 6 euros was a good value. The hot chocolate was divine, as were our mini Domori chocolates with chocolate liqueur. Other favorites from our sampling included, the mini Toblerone bar, my 200g chocolate frame, and the two chocolate "cones" from Motta. The cones looked like Drumstick bars, but where you would find ice cream in the Drumstick, we found solid chocolate in the Motta cones.
The line mass crowd trying to get a cup of hot chocolate
When the hot chocolate is this thick & decadent, the crowd and the pushing is worth it!
My choco-frame didn't survive the trip back to CA, but it's going to make a delicious hot chocolate!
When on the verge of chocolate overdose, we took a pork break and spent some time being kids again. The guy making balloon hats made more for adults than for children.
Spalm Beach, on the terrace of Piazza Matteotti, had beach chairs and beautiful views
Besides the festive atmosphere and all the chocolate love in the air, Perugia has much to admire all on its own; medieval buildings, pretty piazzas, and a hilltop location with breathtaking views -
Although I might not plan a trip to Italy around Eurochocolate, I certainly would go again if I were in Umbria (or Rome) in October. Although I've been known to plan trips for chocolate, it's not necessary as there are many chocolate festivals throughout Italy during the Spring, Fall and Winter months. Here are a few upcoming chocolate festivals happening in November and December, 2011, and some already planned for 2012:
My recent trip to CioccolaTo, Turin's chocolate festival, wasn't only about sampling as much chocolate as I could. Well, I guess it was, but there was some chocolate education to be had between nibbles. To celebrate Italy's 150 years of unification, the chocolate festival had a special tent dedicated to the celebration. Along with the Italy in Monuments chocolate display, there was a photo & placard display detailing key moments in Italy's 150-year history and its history of chocolate. As the festival was in Turin, much of the display was dedicated to chocolate history in Turin and the Piedmont region.
Italy's Monuments in Chocolate
The chocolate most associated with Turin is gianduia. However, long before they started putting hazelnuts in chocolate, Turin was a major player in the world of European chocolate. Turin chocolatiers got their first license to sell chocolate in 1678, almost 200 years before the first gianduia bar entered the chocolate scene in Turin.
Caffarel's Gianduja
The chocolate-hazelnuts mixture didn't come about by some "Hey you got your hazelnuts in my chocolate" accident. Gianduia, today a blend of milk chocolate and ground hazelnuts, was invented due to high cacao prices and problems with supply. In order to extend their supply of cacao, chocolatiers added hazelnuts that were, and still are, in abundance from the local Langhe area.
The chocolate and gianduia "stubs" came out in 1852. At first their name was "givu," local dialect for cigarette butt. During Carnival in 1865, the chocolate company Caffarel had Turin's Carnival character, Gianduia, hand out these givu during Carnival festivities. From then Caffarel's stubs were known as Gianduia, 1865, and the gianduia name stuck with the other bars. Sometimes they are also referred to as gianduiotti.
Crema Gianduja and Nutella
One of the most popular forms of chocolate and hazelnuts worldwide is Nutella. Ferrero-Rocher, located in the nearby city of Alba, began producing the popular spread in 1945. First is was called Giandujot, then Supercrema, then Cremalba. In 1964 it became Nutella.
Almost every chocolatier and sweet shop in Turin has a local version of the spread, using many variations of names. I saw crema gianduja, spalmabile, crema spalmabile. These artisanal versions are more likely to actually use Piedmont hazelnuts and less likely to have palm oil or preservatives that come with the mass produced spread.
A gianduia tasting in Turin should be part of any visit, but a chocoholic (known as ciocco-dipendenti in Italian) would be remiss to leave before tasting the other chocolate specialties of the city. Below is a sampling of the other specialties, along with a few bites of chocolate history.
Nocciolati in Chocolate Shop Windows
Nocciolati - Nocciolati are gianduia chocolate bars with whole roasted hazelnuts throughout. These, along with other chocolate variations, decorate many chocolate storefront windows in Turin. They are sold by weight, usually the etto (100 grams). Nocciolato fondente is a dark chocolate bar with hazelnuts; nocciolato latte is milk chocolate with hazelnuts, and nocciolato bianco is white chocolate. Little bite-size versions are nocciolatini.
Cremini from Guido Gobino
Cremino - In 1911 to launch its Fiat 4, the Turin-based auto manufacture held a contest for Italian chocolatiers to create a chocolate in honor of the new car. "Il Cremino" made by Aldo Majani in Bologna won. For many years it was known as the Cremino Fiat. A square shape, it is layers of chocolate, initially four layers, I only found three-layer versions. Two of the layers are gianduia chocolate. The middle layer varies in flavors and can be hazelnut cream, dark chocolate, coffee cream, to name only a few. The cremini above are from Guido Gobino. One of his cremini flavors called sea salt and olive oil has a middle layer of gianduia with sea salt and olive oil. It's divine!
Tris di Nocciole from A. Giordano
Tris di Nocciole - A classic in chocolate shops in Turin, they are simply three roasted hazelnuts covered in chocolate. You can find them in all three chocolate variations; dark, milk and white.
Chocolate Truffles from CioccolaTo
Tartufi (truffles) - Although they are a specialty of Turin, you can find truffles all over the world. I felt these mouth-watering photos merited an inclusion. Named after the expensive fungus they resemble, these balls of ganache, sometimes with a little liquor added to the ganache, are traditionally rolled in cocoa powder.
Chocolate Rochers at the CioccolaTo Festival
Rochers - Ferrero-Rocher (the company that also makes Nutella) introduced these "rocks" to the world in 1982. Many chocolatiers in the city make them. If you love chocolate and hazelnuts, this is a dream combination. Generally, they start with a chocolate-covered hazelnut at the center; gianduia cream enrobes it. A very thin wafer is wrapped around the gianduia cream, separating it from the final coating of milk chocolate and chopped hazelnuts.
Preferiti in Dark, Milk and White Chocolate
Preferito - Cherries that have been macerated in Maraschino liquor, then dipped in chocolate. You can find these in all three chocolate variations
CriCri - At this chocolate's center is a toasted hazelnut. It's then covered in dark chocolate and rolled in large white sugar crystals. Another lovely combination of chocolate and hazelnuts that has its roots in love. Legend has it that two young lovers, Turin's version of Romeo & Juliet, met at the pastry shop de Coster in the late 1800s. One would enter the store calling, "Cri" and the other acknowledged with the same call, "Cri." When de Coster introduced this candy in 1884, they named it after the pet name the lovers used.
Candy Jars at A. Giordano
Cuneese al Rhum - Introduced in 1923 and named after Cuneo, the city in Piedmont from which it hails, this is the Piedmont version of the sandwich cookie. It's either two disks of meringue or two cookies dipped in chocolate that sandwich a chocolate pastry cream. The pastry cream is doused with a strong dose of rum. Too many of these guarantees you'll be over the legal alcohol limit.
Boero - Cherries left in Cognac for a few days then dipped in chocolate. Different from the preferiti because of the kind of alcohol and these cherries still have the pits in them.
Alpino - In 1922 one of the oldest chocolatiers in Turin created this molded chocolate in honor of the alps next to the Peyrano factory in the countryside. Liquor and chocolate cream are inside the mountain-shaped chocolate mold.
Grappino - In 1962 Peyrano was at it again with the chocolate and liquor combinations. These dangerous chocolates are filled with grappa and shapped like little bottles.
Baci di Cherasco - Italians are known for not wasting any food and working wonders with leftovers, le rimanenze. This chocolate is a perfect example. The Piedmont chocolate company, Barbero, started making these because they wanted to use up the fragments of hazelnuts that remained after making Torrone. In 1881 Barbero introduced these "kisses of Cherasco." Cherasco is a city in the Piedmont region.
A Few Names in Chocolate in Turin and Their Locations:
Guido Gobino - Two locations: Via LaGrange 1 - A boutique where a variety of chocolate tastings are on offer and Via Cagliari 15/b - a shop and the laboratory (A tour of the laboratory may be possible but you must email them in advance. Email address: info@guidogobino.it )
La Perla - Via Catania 9 - Along with La Perla chocolates, you can find other chocolate brands at this store
Pfatisch - Via Sacchi 42 - One of the historic places in Turin, the shop hasn't changed since 1926. In the basement is a small "chocolate museum" where you can find the old machines used to make chocolates.
Piemont-Cioccolato - Via Gran Paradiso 16/23 - The Cri-Cri is one of its specialties
Re Gianduia - Corso Fiume 1 - Selling mostly Caffarel chocolates, this whimsically decorated
candy store can bring out the kid in all of us. At the bar in the front, they serve Gianduiottino, a decadent drink of coffee, gianduia cream and milk.
Venchi - Via Garibaldi 22 - A ciocco-gelateria - one stop shopping for Venchi chocolates and gelato.
Peyrano - Corso Moncalieri 47 - One of the oldest chocolatiers in Turin. When I was there in March, the stores were closed due to the change in ownership. The Peyrano family bought the company back and hopefully have reopened the doors.
As you know from my recent post Italy in Chocolate, I spent several days in Turin at CioccolaTo, Turin's chocolate festival. Actually, my month in Italy was planned specifically for two things: Carnival in Venice and CioccolaTo in Turin. All the amazing other things that happened during my Italy travels between these 2 events were just chocolate ganache on the torta cioccolata!
For two weeks in March, Piazza Vittorio Veneto was transformed into a chocoholic's (called ciocco-dipendenti in Italian) paradise. Hundreds of chocolate makers in Turin and Piedmont participated, and also those from all parts of Italy and Europe, selling chocolate and giving out samples. A lot in the way of chocolate education was also available to those interested in more than sampling.
There was a chocolate demonstration booth, where various Piemontese chocolatiers and pastry chefs showed the audience chocolate making, baking, decorating and tempering techniques. Chocolatier Silvio Bessone sponsored a booth that had chocolate-making machines, in operation, during the festival. There was an interactive chocolate education area designed for children, although I saw some adults playing the learning games. A photo exhibition of chocolate-making and chocolate wear were also on display.
The cinema in the piazza, Cinema Empire, showed chocolate films from around the world (Chocolat, Like Water for Chocolate, Bianca, Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory, and more). If you were exhausted after eating all that chocolate, you could recline at Spalm Beach - a play on Palm Beach and Spalmabile, the generic term for the spreadable chocolate & hazelnut goodness many know as Nutella. If you needed even more pampering, a spa, Cocoon Center, in the piazza offered free chocolate beauty & wellbeing services.
Although Turin is most noted for its Gianduia (chocolate and hazelnut bars), there was plenty of other kinds of chocolate available - dark, milk, white, hot chocolate, chocolate liqueur, chocolate gelato and more. Here are scenes from CioccolaTo 2011:
Caffarel Gianduia Stand in the shape of a Gianduia Bar
Ziccat Chocolate
Melted Chocolate - Gianduia Cream Liqueur - and Chocolates
Chocolate Rochers
Guido Gobino Booth
La Perla Chocolate Booth
Chocolate Truffles and Chocolate-Coated Candied Citrus
Spalm Beach
Chocolate Wear
Cremino Nocciolato Gianduia & Gianduoitti in the Tricolore of the Italian Flag
Chocolate Making in Progress
Chocolate and Gianduia Making Process Displayed in Photos
CioccolaTo 2012 is already scheduled! It's from March 2 to 11, 2012 (And, Carnevale di Venezia will be from February 11 to 21, 2012.) Just a few reasons to visit Italy in winter!
This post is part of Wanderfood Wednesday - Head on over there and see what other food lover's that travel are writing about!
CioccolaTo, the chocolate festival in Turin, begins today March 25 and lasts until April 3. As a preview and to celebrate Italy's 150 years of unification, there is a special chocolate exhibition that began March 17 and lasts until the end of CioccolaTo. The preview includes storyboards that point out important dates in both the history of Italy and the history of chocolate in Italy. Along with the storyboards, the shape of Italy is carved in one gigantic boot of chocolate, and there are also the two islands, Sicily and Sardegna. In addition, there is a chocolate sculpture of an important monument from each of Italy's 20 regions.
Giuseppe Garibaldi sculpted in Chocolate
Below, are photos of each of the chocolate monuments. I found myself trying to guess which each monument was, so I thought it would be fun for you to do the same. To make things a little easier, under the photo of the "monument," I've listed the region in which you would find it.
There are prizes, too. Chocolate prizes - two of them!! Everyone that leaves a comment with their guesses will be put in a random drawing for an assortment of chocolates I've picked up from the CioccolaTo festival in Turin. (I'm certain all of you can easily identify at least 2 of the monuments.) The first person to name all 20 of the monuments correctly, or the person who names the most correctly, will also win an assortment of chocolates.
I've listed the regions from Sicily and Sardegna and then headed north. In the last photo, I've combined four regions in the northwest of Italy, but you need to name each monument for each region as it's listed. For the other photos, the monument in question is always in the forefront of the photo. Calabria doesn't really have a monument, but instead two chocolate men.
The deadline for the contest is midnight (California time) March 31, 2011. On April 1st, I'll post the answers and the winners of the prizes and your chocolate prizes will be mailed to you. Anyone can enter. Good luck everyone!
Sicily - The Temple della Concordia in Agrigento
Sardinia - Le Nuraghe
Calabria - The Bronzi di Riace statues housed in the Museo Nazionale Magna Grecia in Reggio-Calabria
Puglia - The Trulli
Basilicata - Sassi di Matera (Stone caves/houses in Matera)
Campania - Castel Nuovo (also known as the Maschio Angioino) in Naples
Lazio - The Coliseum in Rome
Molise - Castello Monforte in Campobasso
Abruzzo - The Fortezza Spagnola in L'Aquila
Le Marche - Santuario di Loreto in Loreto
Umbria - Fontana Maggiore in Perugia
Tuscany - The Leaning Tower of Pisa
Emilia-Romagna - The Torre degli Asinelli in Bologna
Veneto - The Campanile di San Marco in Venice
Friuli-Venezia-Giulia - The Miramare Castle in Triest
Trentino-Alto Adige - Castello di Buonconsiglio in Trento
Four regions (from left to right) - Val d'Aosta, Piedmont, Liguria, Lombardy -
Porta Pretoria in Aosta, Mole Antonellina in Turin, Lanterna di Genova in Genova, the Duomo in Milan
Note: For those of you following my travels in Italy this month, I have gone a little out of chronological order and fast forwarded a bit through my travels. Before I landed in Turin, I also spent time eating my way through Naples, most of the time with Napoli Unplugged and then in the Salento region in Puglia. A few internet connection problems, and well, having way too much fun in Puglia put me a little behind. Look for lots of posts on both those areas soon along with more on chocolate from Turin.
The best hot chocolate I've ever had was during Carnevale in Venice. The thick Italian hot chocolate is so dense that it verges on being a pudding, and Carnival in Venice is where I first tasted this type of hot chocolate.
We arrived for our Carnevale weekend in Venice late at night and took a vaporetto from Piazzale Roma to the Accademia stop. It was my first non-summer vist to Venice, and the city seemed deserted. As we passed the Erberia (near the Rialto bridge), there were a few sounds of laughter and human existence. After we passed the Rialto bridge, there was no one, no gondole on the lagoon, and the only sound was the rumbling of the vaporetto motor as it poked along the Grand Canal. There was a light fog that sat just on the water's surface. It seemed that the ghosts of Carnevale's past were rising to the surface to welcome us to Venice. The black night, the only lights - those bouncing on the water, the buildings - at the same time, both exotic and decaying, the fog, and the silence created an atmosphere both enchanting and eerie.
During the day, the atmosphere was one of only merriment. From early in the morning to late in the night, the streets were filled with elaborately costumed and masked partygoers. Always silent but showing their willingness through gestures, they gladly stopped for anyone asking to take a photo. As we wandered through Venice, locals offered us and other visitors mulled wine and fried treats. Saint Mark's Square was celebration central, and a grand stage was set up for the many costume parades and shows that took place day and night. Strings of lights decorated the narrow calle around the square. At night, the lights twinkled overhead and danced below in the waters of the canal to add to the festive mood. It was also normal to see these masked partygoers riding gondole or on the vaporetto. Festivity, fantasy, and frivolity; that is Venice during Carnevale.
Venice in winter is also COLD. The chill, a cold wet one from the fog, seemed to seep through our many layers of clothes. We found a cafe near Saint Mark's to take a break from the cold and also found Italian hot chocolate. The menu was filled with at least 15 versions of hot chocolate - dark chocolate, milk chocolate, white chocolate, with any kind of liqueur that you wanted, etc. etc. I got the dark and my friend the white. At the time, we were both living in Paris, so we were more than familiar with the hot chocolates of Angelina, LaDuree, Cafe Flore, and the rest, but this was oh so different. Instead of drinking it, it was so thick you could almost eat it with a spoon. Almost that is, it was still creamy and fluid enough to drink, and we drank in the hot and creamy chocolate. During the entire weekend, we made daily stops at the cafe for our hot chocolate break.
After we returned, I did some research to find that this quasi-pudding drink was the typical hot chocolate of Italy. You can find it in any cafe in Italy during the winter. I've since found it even in France and Prague, going by the name of "Italian hot chocolate" on menus. (Prior to Venice, I didn't fully understand the meaning of the name on the menu.) The secret is to use a little bit of cornstarch to thicken it. Using the best quality chocolate is also key.
This hot chocolate and Carnevale in Venice will forever be paired together in my mind. With each sip I think of Venetian masks, elaborate costumes, zeppole (Venetian donuts), parades, and the lagoon in winter - misty and magical. After the recipe for the hot chocolate, I've added a video of photos of my Carnevale in Venice. In the time it takes you to drink a cup of hot chocolate you can take a little trip to Venice.
Carnevale di Venezia 2011, is from February 26 to March 8, 2011. The cafe where we had our first Italian hot chocolate is in Campo St. Stefano. It has yellow tablecloths and dark wood trim around the entrance, and no name other than Cafe.
Italian Hot Chocolte - Cioccolata Calda
(Makes 4 servings)
1 cup whole milk, separated in 3/4 cup and 1/4 cup
1 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
4 tablespoons granulated sugar
4 1/2 ounces high quality dark chocolate 70%, finely chopped
About a cup of whipped cream, optional
Combine the 3/4 cup milk, cream and sugar in a saucepan and heat until it starts to bubble around the edges. While the milk mixture is heating, whisk together the 1/4 milk and the cornstarch until it is smooth. Once the milk mixture starts bubbling around the edges, add the milk and cornstarch mixture to it and whisk until it's heated through. Add the the chocolate and whisk together until it's smooth, hot and thick enough to coat a spoon. Pour into mugs and serve with whipped cream if desired. Enjoy!
NOTE: If you'd like a little liqueur flavor add 1 1/2 tablespoons of your favorite liqueur to the hot chocolate right before pouring. I love Baileys Irish Cream or Kahlua.
Christmas in Italy. The markets, regional seasonal delicacies, and participating in Italian Christmas festivities. This dream vacation is on my "bucket list," so I've been jotting down notes and websites pertaining to Christmas in Italy for a while. Last week, I said to myself, "I'll share this information with you, here. Easy." Well, if I had the notes in one, and not 4 different, notebooks it would have been a little easier. Also, narrowing down the numerous events in Italy's 20 regions is about as easy as deciding which Italian cities to visit and which you'll have to save for the next trip.
The majority of the Christmas markets, called Mercatini di Natale, are in the Trentino/Alto-Adige, just south of Austria, but these festivities go on throughout the boot. Typically there are wooden chalets selling Christmas decorations, hand-crafted goods, seasonal food and drinks. The piazze turn into dream villages with lights, Christmas trees, music and merriment. Manger scenes, called presepi, wooden, ceramic and sometimes live versions, are everywhere. Scents of baked Christmas sweets and spiced wine fill the air. That old hag La Befana and even Babbo di Natale (Santa Claus) enchant or scare the children. There are usually rides - even live animals - for the children to enjoy. There can also be rides for the adults. Maybe a romantic horse-drawn carriage or a tiny train, taking you through the medieval village and beyond the ancient walls to nearby parks and castles.
Below is a list of some of the Christmas markets and events throughout Italy along with links to the official sites, when I found one. Many of the sites are only in Italian, with the exception of the multi-lingual South Tyrol. Starting the end of November or early December, the markets continue through Christmas to January 6 (the religious holiday of the Epiphany). Then La Befana, the witch who brings candy to good kids and coal to bad ones, makes an appearance. If you're traveling to Italy around Christmas, these markets have something for everyone.
Piazza Caveri turns into an alpine Christmas village with real Christmas, trees, lights and wooden houses (casette) selling local artigianal products and food.
Mostra Mercato di Natale (Christmas Show Market) - December 5, 12, & 19 - 9am to 8pm in Piazza Chanoux - Over 70 exhibitors will have local hand-crafted gifts for sale
Piedmont
Turin - December 3 to 23 in Piazza Borga Dora and the surrounding area
The piazza also becomes a Christmas village with a huge Christmas tree in the piazza and many exhibitors selling products and food. On Dec. 5, 6,7,8,12,13,19,& 20 there is a free shuttle bus that leaves from the center at Piazza Castello to Piazza Borga Dora. Restaurants in the surrounding area will be offering special Christmas menus.
The Oh Bej, Oh Bej Fair (Milan's dialect for "How beautiful, how beautiful") is a fair to honor the patron saint of Milan, St. Ambrogio. The fair will have over 400 stalls selling Christmas items and food.
Trentino-Alto Adige
Trentino Christmas Markets Site - This is the site for all information on Christmas markets in Arco, Andalo, Levico, Pergine Valsugana, Rango nel Bleggio, Rovereto, and Trento
Arco - November 19 to December 23 in the historic center (centro storico)
Special events at the festival: December 7th is the Festa d' Immacolata and there will be a fireworks display from the castle. December 11 & 12 there will be a showing of an Italian verson of Dicken's A Christmas Carol. They will have a little train (trenino) to take you around the city.You can check here: Complete Arco Christmas Program for all events and times.
Andalo - December 3 to 24 in Piazza Dolomiti
Bolzano (Bozen) - November 26 to December 23 in Piazza Walter
One of the most photographed cities in the Dolomites, Bolzano, sits in the valley surrounded by rolling hills and the Dolomite mountains in the backdrop. At Christmas, Bolzano and the valley may also be carpeted with snow. Along with the traditional market, there will be an artisan one (hand-made crafts) at Piazza Municipio and Notte dei Musei where evening entrance into certain museums will be free.
Bressanone (Brixen) - November 26 to January 6, 2011 in Piazza Duomo
The market takes place in the main cathedral's square. The Cathedral (Duomo) has an 800-year old Gothic cloister. There will be a presepi exhibition at Episcopal Palace.
Bruncio(Bruneck) - November 26 to January 6, 2011 on the Nuovo Piazza Municipio
Another gem situated at the foot of the Dolomites, you can add a ski vacation to your trip. The ski resort Kronplatz is just outside the town.
Levico - November 20 to January 6, 2011in the Parco Alburgico
Along with the traditional Christmas Market, food will be a huge theme of the celebrations with a Polenta Fest (11/28 - 12/8) and a Cheese Fest (12/5-12/12). In the park there will also be a Santa Clause 5K run - Santa suit is required for entry. A fireworks show will be held at 9:30pm on these Saturday evenings: 11/27, 12/4 and 12/11, and there will be horse-drawn carriage rides.
Merano - November 26 to January 6, 2011on the historic spa promenade
The 18th year of the festival in the spa town of Merano, its held along a beautiful riverfront promenade. Check out a huge gallery of previous Merano Christmas Markets photos. The website, with an English option, is full of information and pictures.
Rango nel Bleggio - December 5 to 19
Rovereto - November 27 to January 2, 2011 in Corso Rosmini
Along with local products there will also be Christmas items from North Europe.
One of the more visited and famous of the markets of Trentino, it's also the busiest. The site brags that over 100 pullman buses come to the town each weekend. The piazza is next to the huge medieval wall of the city which adds to the medieval Christmas feel.
Vipiteno(Sterzing) November 26 to January 6, 2011 in Piazza Citta (Stadtplatz)
This medieval mining town, will have a mining exhibition along with the regular Christmas market.
Veneto
Verona - December 4 to January 23, 2011 in Piazza Bra and the Arena
Verona's Arena, the sight for the summer opera festival, is illuminated and houses over 400 nativity scenes. A huge star arches from the Arena out and onto Piazza Bra where the Christmas market and its vendors are. Christmas treats include Pandoro (a sweet Christmas bread) and Nadalin (star Christmas cookies).
Emiglia-Romana
Bologna - There are two festivals that celebrate Christmas. Fiera di Santa Lucia, also a celebration of the saint, is the bigger of the two.
Fiera di Santa Lucia - November 20 to December 26 around Church dei Servi
Fiera di Natale - November 20 to January 6, 2011 on Via Altabella
Liguria
Genoa - December 7 to 19 at La Fiera di Genova - Piazzale Kennedy
Almost any kind of gift you could immagine will be at this Fiera a Natale. There will also be a food and wine section with products from Liguria and lessons on making traditional Christmas food.
Tuscany
Florence:
Florence Noel - December 4 to 12 at Stazione Leopoldo - Entrance = 7,50 euros
The Leopoldo Train Station houses this festival. Along with stalls selling gift items, chocolate and other foods, there will be Santa's house (Casa di Babbo Natale ) where children can meet Santa, write, and post letters to him.
Mercato Tedesco di Natale - December 1 to 19 in Piazza Santa Croce
This will be a traditional Christmas market with wooden houses selling hand-crafted products and food and wine.
The 18th annual festival bills itself as the biggest show market for gastronomy and artigianal products in the region. Its main location is the 16th century fortress, but there will also be food and wine stalls in the historic center and craft stalls in Piazza Italia.
Le Marche
Pesaro - December 4 to 8 in the nearby town of Candelara
An illuminated Christmas Market. At certain moments during the event, the city will be illuminated only with candles. Along with the traditional market and via dei presepi (a manger exhibit), there will also be ice sculptures of manger scenes. There will be free shuttle bus service from Pescaro (several central locations) to the town of Candelara.
Fano - December 1 to 31 in various locations throughout the city
The traditional Christmas market will be in Giardini Amiani. There are many festivities during the month of December. The Tempo di Natale events include a nativity exhibit along via Mura San Gallo, an afternoon market in the centro storico at Piazza XX Settembre, and several concerts.
Vatican City - Along with the presepe display, huge Christmas tree in the piazza, and midnight mass on December 24, there are a number of religious celebrations througout the month of December.
100 Presepi Display - November 26 to January 6, 2011 in Piazza del Popolo - Entrance = 5,50 euros weekdays and 6,50 euros weekends/holidays
Frascati - "Natale a Frascati" will be from December 3 to January 5, 2011 in the town center (centro)
Frascati, one of the towns of the Castelli Romani, will have 40 wooden houses selling products and food, and both Santa Claus and La Befana will make appearances.
Campania
Napoli:
Via San Gregorio Armeno in the historic center
This is "Christmas Lane" all year long, selling the Presepi Napolitano, but in December the street becomes even more festive.
For presepi on exhibit, these churches/monasteries have them:
Pontecagnano - From November 17 to December 19 in the Gardens (Giardini) of Piazza Sabbato
This town near Salerno is kicking off its first "Christmas Market" this year. Modeled after the Christmas markets in the north of Italy and of those in Northern Europe, it will have a Southern Italian feel featuring local products, food and wine.
Sicily
Caltagirone - On weekends from November 6&7 to December 11&12 in Piazza Umberto
A Christmas market with the requisite wooden stalls and presepi but also Sicilian crafts and sweets
The market will have hand-crafted items along with Sardinian food and wine products
How fun it will be to see Christmas festivals throughout Italy, from ones in the snow-covered South Tirol to those surrounded by palm trees in Sicily. The magic, romance, wonderment, SHOPPING, and SWEETS! My plan is to go next year; however, after putting this list together and seeing all the photos and videos, like the one below, I've seriously thought about changing my plans. Should I forego my planned trip in March and make a Christmas trip this December? What do you think?
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Have you been to any of the Christmas markets in Italy? Do you know of a great Christmas market or festival not listed?
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