Let’s talk about Verona Christmas Traditions
A look at our magical Verona Christmas season.
Two households, both alike in dignity, in fair Verona, where we lay our scene… – Romeo and Juliet
And so it begins, with a few words from a sixteenth-century playwright, the city of Verona became forever synonymous with romance and true love the world over.
But let us talk of a different kind of love, the love of good food and wine, and holiday traditions. Every year during the holiday season you will find Verona, Italy is the perfect place to delight in Christmas traditions.
You don’t have to be religious to enjoy the beauty and wonder of Verona during the holiday season.
Join us on our popular Verona walking tour. We add in holiday flavors during the Christmas season!
Click to check out our Verona food tour.
Verona Christmas: The Sights
Imagine strolling the ancient streets of this UNESCO World Heritage city surrounded by Roman ruins and Renaissance facades dressed up in thousands of Christmas lights. Magical.
In Piazza Bra, you’ll find a magnificent comet sculpture, a Verona Christmas tradition, that appears to shoot from the Roman amphitheater and land in the piazza.This 75 pound sculpture was designed by Rinaldo Oliveri.
Every year inside the Arena archways, you will find the International Festival of Cribs in Art and Tradition. This exhibition hosts more than 400 nativity scenes on loan from major museums or private collections, from all over the world.
Verona Christmas: The Sounds
Verona welcomes the holiday season like no other place. Christmas markets begin as early as mid-November and are open until the 26th. The city has also become famous for the Nuremberg Chiskindmarkt or Christmas market, featuring wooden houses and stalls serving traditional German food and drink. You’ll find hand-carved gift items and trinkets to treasure.
Order our Verona Christmas baskets to have tastes of the season at your home, no matter where you live.
Click to see our Verona Christmas baskets!
Verona Christmas: The Tastes
Of course, you will also find Italian food and wine specialties to savor.
Try a glass of vin brülé, similar to mulled wine but made with local Valpolicella red wine. Pair it with panettone classico, a traditional Verona Christmas cake made with honey, dried citrus fruits and raisins. Or try it with pandoro, a truly Veronese treat, very similar to panettone, but without raisins or fruit. This typical Christmas cake is said to have ancient, Roman origins, but it was in 1894 that the Veronese confectionery company Melegatti, claimed the patent for it.
If you’re not familiar with wines of the Valpolicella wine region, you are in for a treat. The most famous and prestigious red wine made here is Amarone – labeled as Amarone di Valpolicella.
We have included an Amarone in our gift baskets because frankly, you can not talk about Verona without talking about Amarone.
What is Amarone? A very simplified explanation is, it is dried grapes, pressed and fermented, then barrel-aged for a minimum of two years. The flavors are redolent of ripe cherries, cocoa, figs, and a hint of honey sometimes. You will fall in love with the full-bodied, rich flavors of Amarone.
All of our Verona Christmas baskets feature our region’s amazing Amarone wine. For the winelover on your list, simply compose your own Holiday Basket, mixing great wines from our wine list.
Click to see our wine selection to compose your own
If you prefer something light and bubbly, our gift basket includes a bottle of sparkling wine, a panettone Verona Christmas cake, and of course a bottle of Amarone.
If you are visiting Verona it is easy to take one of these gift baskets home with you or for your convenience we can also ship them in time for the holidays. In the Veronese tradition of Christmas, enjoy the traditional flavors of Verona no matter where you are in the world you.
And, book our popular Verona walking tour for an unbeatable taste of the city and culture. During our Verona Christmas days, we highlight the sights, sounds, and tastes to make sure you get to experience those traditions as they happen.
Leave us a note in comments on your favorite Christmas traditions!
