Driving Home for Christmas, like Last Christmas because your family keep begging Please Come Home for Christmas? Dreaming of a White Christmas outside of Italy? Well, it’s going to be a Cold, Cold Christmas Without You here. We think you should stay put because Santa Claus is Coming to Town and It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas in Tuscany. Wherever you’re celebrating, Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas!
December is full of festive events and we’ve tried to select the very best for you. We’ll start out in Florence where you won’t want to miss out on its famous Weihnachstsmarkt in Piazza Santa Croce December 3-21. Be ready to go German for a while, enjoying delicacies like bratwurst, pretzels, mulled wine, schinken, and of course, beer. Stressed out about your Christmas shopping? This market will sure have something cute for grandma, something fancy for your sister and something practical for your dad.
More shopping ops during La Fierucola di Natale in Piazza SS. Annunziata in honour of The Immaculate Conception. This fair goes on all day long on December 7 and 8 and will also be held in Piazza Santo Spirito on 21 December. Another great shopping opportunity is the Gran Bazar at Tasso Hostel where you’ll find an array of vintage, vinyl, bonsai, graphic design, handmade art, clothes, and many more things to make your relatives love you even more than they already do. Tasso Hostel, Via Villani 15, 21 December, 12 – 10pm.
To get into the Christmas mood completely, set your sleigh’s GPS for La Fortezza da Basso to celebrate Natale in Fortezza December 11-14 . It will get as Christmassy as you can imagine there, so if you love Natale, make sure you don’t miss this merry event. Tickets: €5,- Then, the A.I.L.O (American International League of Florence) organizes its annual charitable Christmas Bazaar from 10am – 5pm on December 8 where you can feast on American treats like jams and pickles, brownies, hamburgers and many more.
Meet Babbo Natale himself!
Time to leave the big city of Florence and to go look for Father Chrismas, or Babbo Natale, in his own little town: Il Paese di Babbo Natale. It is to be found in Chianciano Terme, in the province of Siena and will be welcoming young and old until 26 December. The entire medieval hamlet will be turned into Santa’s abode with shiny lights, tall trees, twinkling stars and a choo choo train, cutely named ‘Polar Express’ for the occasion. Another chance to meet Santa himself will be taking place in Montepulciano, which will be turned into Villaggio di Natale with fairs and fun for everyone. Until 6 January.
Another lovely little town worth paying a visit these days is San Gimignano, famous for its high towers left over from Medieval times. During Lumière 2014 on 6 and 7 December, the old town turns into a modern, futuristic place full of light, video mapping, projections and music. After sunset, the towers will be used as projection screens and will light up the entire place. Music, dance, performances and art will liven up the town and all museums will stay open until midnight. Definitely worth a trip in your time machine!
Feasts and Fun
Tuscany wouldn’t be Tuscany if there weren’t any scrumptious food events going on. The streets of Suvereto will be filled with the smell of grilled meat while flag throwers entertain the crowds until December 8 during Cinghiale, Arte e Folklore. Wild boar lovers will have the time of their lives!
On December 19 the doors of Volterra’s prison will open to curious eaters for Cene Galeotte. Chefs will cook up an amazing dinner together with the inmates. All the earnings will go to charity. Willing to give these people a second chance? Check out the website (in Italian) for more info and to book your table.
Like you’ve seen in our November events post, chestnuts are to be found all over Tuscany in autumn. From December 1st onwards, the new chestnut flower can officially be sold. To celebrate this, the town of Castelnuovo organizes an event called Città Della Castagna, the chestnut city, from 6 – 8 December. Many restaurants offer menus based on chestnuts and its flower. In the town itself there will be an antiques fair, a farmers market, and, how surprisingly, a chestnut market. There will also be a little Santa’s House to entertain the little ones.
Go out with a bang
To round off this amazing year in style go to either Florence’s Piazza Signoria to enjoy some classical music for free, go to Firenzuola for a party in the piazza, or opt for Massa Marittima’s square in Grosseto down south. Head back to Suvereto for a New Year’s Eve accompanied by its mind-blowing wines served in personalized glasses. From 8:30pm onwards you can savour your way through different types of wine, a wide choice of small bites to try and then sit down for il cenone di fine anno (basically a dinosaur dinner) until you explode along with the fireworks. There will also be street theatre, animation for kids and music while waiting for the bang that will blow 2014 away. Have a blast!
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from Valentina and Sophie – TooMuchTuscany
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