If you want to be in Florence during the Christmas holidays you choose a beautiful, sparkling city with a very special atmosphere. Celebrate Christmas in Florence. Discover Christmas markets, where to go ice skating and Florence’s Christmas lights. Children will enjoy Christmas time in Florence: apart from the trees, Florence has got a lot of things to do with your children in the days between Christmas and Epiphany.
When it darkens don’t miss a stroll in the city centre where, starting from December 8, many palazzi and places of interest will be covered with lights. Go to piazza della Signoria, to via Tornabuoni and the Ponte a Santa Trinita.
Take a ride on the viali di circonvallazione (the Florentine avenues) which are sparkling with Christmas lights. But let’s first see what does the city offers before Christmas while the works for the celebration of Xmas and New Year’s Eve are under way.
From November 26 Ice skating at the Parterre in Piazza della Libertà is something of a tradition for the city and it really helps to create the right Christman holidays atmosphere.
If you like Christmas markets you have plenty of possibilities. There is a large market of products from the Fair Trade in the San Lorenzo market, from December 14 to 24.
For anyone looking to buy goods and products made in the south of Italy, has a chance to do so from December 16th until December 20th in the Medici Gallery in Florence.
For five days, the Legal Markets will be open from 9am-7pm. There will be pasta, tomato sauce, wine, olive oil, oranges, vegetables and tomatoes for sale. These Legal Markets are special because the co-ops who produce these organic products are using land that once belonged to the mafia. The Italian government confiscated the land and handed it over to clean businesses.
Lastly, from December 8th until December 24th, the Medici Palace will be offering ‘Emergency’ Christmas shop. Emergency is an independent NGO, founded in Italy to provide high quality and free of charge healre to the war and poverty victimes. The organization promotes peace and respect for human rights. Some different products for sale include Cambodia’s silk scarves, the finest chocolate, baskets from Sudan. Also available is the new 2012 “Worlds against War” calendar. Proceeds from this nonprofit organization will be allocated to Italy.
Some Christmas concerts and shows contribute to create an atmosphere. Special event of the Epiphany day is the Cavalcata dei Magi, a huge pageant in the city centre from Piazza Pitti to the Cathedral. Renaissance riders, soldiers, musicians and ladies go to the Duomo where a all children are welcome. The Cavalcata starts at 2.30 pm and ends at about 5.30 pm. And if you are here for New Year’s Eve in Florence there are some free open air shows to celebrate the new year; big parties in the main piazzas include Italian rapper Caparezza in piazza Stazione, gospel music in piazza Santissima Annunziata from the Golden voices of gospels, and classical music from Orchestra della Toscana in piazza della Signoria, jazz and folk in Piazza della Repubblica from the Les Italiens e The sweet life society, and disco music in Piazza Annigoni from Strange D(j)ays.
More info: http://en.firenzeturismo.it/