That’s why the fairgrounds in Verona are like a mini branch of Nuremberg 's Christkindlmarkt. The layout of the markets, the wooden huts and the menus are all borrowed from the country with the oldest traditions of Advent. But Verona fairs have their own differences: after a snack of sausages and cabbage, you can buy a souvenir in the form of Italian cheese or a Venetian mask — such a combination I have not met even in Venice.
Christmas fairs in Verona
Almost all fairs and festive locations are concentrated in the city center. More than 100 booths participate. The main locations are:
- Piazza dei Signori, aka Piazza Dante (Piazza Dante, Piazza dei Signori)
- Cortile Mercato Vecchio (Cortile Mercato Vecchio)
- Cortile del Tribunale (Tribunal Court)
- Via della Costa (Via della Costa)
- Loggia Vecchia (Loggia Vecchia)
- Arsenale in Piazza Sacco e Vanzetti (Arsenale)
The fairs open in mid-November and run until December 26. The city’s festive illuminations are switched on separately. At the beginning of December, you can catch the Christmas mood only at fairs — there are already decorations hanging all over the city, but they are not turned on yet.
Office hours:
- Sunday through Thursday: 11.00 to 21.00
- Friday and Saturday from 10.00 to 23.00.
- December 8 from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.
- December 24 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- December 25 from 16.00 to 23.00.
- December 26 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Apart from the fairs, all the stores in the center are trying to create a festive mood. A dotted line on the map shows the main pedestrian street from fair to fair — and along this street, stores and osterias compete in the beauty of their decorations: bright and elegant, but also cozy and authentic. These facades help to create an overall festive mood, even when the city lights are still off.
Despite the city’s lights being off, Verona’s main Christmas star shines in all its glory. I’ve seen it many times in photos and was sure it was just an ordinary glowing figure. In fact, it is a white colored metal structure illuminated by spotlights that give it a soft, even glow.
This comet has been a symbol of Christmas in Verona since 1984. Its history is similar to that of the Eiffel Tower: the star was created for a one-time installation in 1984, on the occasion of the opening of the Christmas nursery exhibition in the Arena. Like the Eiffel Tower, it proved too good for a one-time use, and now the Comet is installed every year and then dismantled. The Verona Comet is in the Guinness Book of Records: it is 70 meters high, 82 meters long, and peaks up to 22 meters. It took 80 tons of steel and 2,500 bolts to make.
The crèche exhibition takes place every year and is also listed in the Book of Records as the largest in the world, with over 400 crèches from around the world.
- Exhibition website
- Tickets for the exhibition: 8 €. Schoolchildren: 5 €. Under 6 years old — free of charge.
Food and souvenirs: Christmas shopping in Verona
The Verona fair has taken the best from its northern neighbors: sausages from Germany, speck from Tyrol, brezels and gingerbread. Chestnuts are roasted in the piazza Erbe next door to the market. You can wash it all down not only with mulled wine, called Brulé, but also with a hot Bombardino egg cocktail or a cold Italian beer.
Some prices:
- Mulled wine — 3,5 €
- Bombardino — 5 €
- Sausage — 5 €, cabbage — 2,5—3 €.
I did not find any souvenirs unusual for Christmas fairs, except for Venetian masks, in Verona. Like everywhere else, they sell candlesticks, decorative pendants, Christmas tree ornaments, Advent wreaths and warm clothes — in case you get cold at the fair and want to buy a knitted hat or thick natural sheepskin slippers.
People really like to buy souvenirs and gifts at Christmas fairs. After all, it was the seasonal pre-holiday markets that were the first Advent markets in Germany. At the fair in Verona there are stalls with products from different regions of Italy: Puglia, Piedmont, South Tyrol, etc.
In Verona’s pastry shops, look for Christmas pastries:
- pandoro, which was invented here in the late XIX century, and its analog panettone — with dried fruits, chocolate and other fillings;
- The ancestor of pandoro is the low star-shaped nadalin (Nadalin or Natalino), which has been prepared since the 13th century;
- «Russian cake» — torta russa: puff pastry filled with a filling of nuts and amaretti cookies.
Useful information about Christmas Verona
- Although the fairs in Verona have been open since mid-November, I recommend going for the Christmas spirit closer to mid-December. At the beginning of the month there may still be no festive lights, and at the end there are too many people and too expensive hotels.
- Verona’s Advent website is here. The dates of the fairs and the list of main events are updated every year.
- Living in Verona is convenient and inexpensive in Veronetta, a neighborhood on the other side of the Adige, under the castle of San Pietro. Hotels even in December start from 70 € for two people.
- In December, Verona begins to experience night fogs and high humidity. Dress warmly.
