Christmas in Florence. More than just Street Markets!

The excitement in the run up to Christmas can be felt in Florence in every street and shop lovingly decorated with attention to detail, whether in a characteristic, traditional or innovative style.  Installations in public areas feature original designs with light and colour to illuminate the city and banish the winter darkness. The role of Christmas lights is precisely that – to brighten the dull afternoons of cold winter days, to warm our hearts.

Tree First

In recent years Florence’s Christmas decorations have been designed as part of a project called “Alberi d’artista” (Tree Art). The Christmas tree is the symbol of Christmas celebrations, and in this project the tree, under which we place our gifts, has been revisited in three different designs in the city’s three main squares. We are confident that this year too Piazza Santa Maria Novella, Piazza Repubblica and Piazza Santissima Annunziata will benefit from the artists’ creative imagination. In previous years artists have created imaginative trees symbolising Christmas and the oldest traditional meaning of the celebrations, the birth of Jesus, and the birth and care for a new life that takes shape from the winter solstice. The anouncement of this birth helps us believe in the future, take care of the weak, of new life that will flourish, and take care of our future.

Christmas Chocolate

Christmas is a magical time also because of the warm, delicious aromas that pervade the city. First and foremost the smell of roast chestnuts, but also of deep-fried snacks and candy floss. These delicious smells can be overwhelming, and we recommend you concentrate on a warming tour only on offer at Christmas - “Firenze al sapore di cioccolato” (Chocolate Flavoured Florence), which will allow you to taste the best and most heart-warming chocolate Florence has to offer.

Bridge of Light

One sight not to be missed during your Christmas holiday in Florence, which alone is worth the journey, is the lights on the Ponte Vecchio. One side of the bridge is illuminated in alternating blue, pink and green lights, and the other in yellow and pink. The overall effect is magical, and for a moment we are all children again, staring in wonder.

Gifts Galore

Christmas is also about giving, about presents, and central Florence is the perfect place to find finely made original bargains and inspiration. The traditional Florentine shops producing handmade products are appealing and convince even the hardest to please tourist to buy unforgettable gifts. Fabrics, jewellery, potter, shoes and leather goods in general evoke a sense of the traditional, of history, of value which the gifts carry to those who receive them.

Christmas is for Children

Children love superheroes, and the Uffizi Gallery is offering bookings for a special tour for younger ones called “Superheroes of the Renaissance”, a magical tour of the world of art. “Legend has it that Michelangelo could hear the whispers of David trapped in the marble, and Brunelleschi managed to build the biggest dome of all time.”

Romance is in the Air

If you don’t yet have children and want to share a romantic moment, Romantic Florence will add spice to you Chistmas with heartwarming dinners and views that will set your heart racing. Culture can be romantic too, and couples can enjoy a tour of Casa Guidi, which requires booking beforehand. This Florentine museum tells the tale of secret marriages and romantic flights beyond the river, which have touched the imagination of even the most cynical.

It does not always not snow in Florence, but the magic of a white Christmas can be found in the white marble of the Piazzas and the Churches of Florence, in its monuments, its ever-present art works, in the whole of the city.

What are you waiting for? Florence is ready to wish you a Happy Christmas.