Quasi ogni paese dell’South Tyrol ha il suo Christmas market poichè partecipare al mistero dell’Advent e della nascità del Bambinello è un sentimento tradizionale molto radicato nella popolazione. Ogni giorno artigiani, musicisti, pasticcieri danno vita alla magia di piccoli villagi incantati, illuminati dalle luci natalizie e profumati dal vin brulè e dai dolcetti natalizi.
E’ proprio qui, nel Sud del Tirolo, che si scoprono le vere capitali italiane di questo annuale appuntamento: Bolzano, Merano, Bressanone, Brunico, Vipiteno e Campo Tures si animeranno e si trasformeranno in incantati paesi dei balocchi. Immersi in magiche atmosfere sfavillanti di mille luci e accompagnati da musiche suggestive, sarà divertente ricercare le più caratteristiche idee regalo e assaggiare i prodotti tipici e artigianali disseminati sulle variopinte bancarelle che affolleranno i centri storici.
Christmas Markets in South Tyrol
The Christmas markets have always been an expression of a typical Central European tradition that lives on in South Tyrol to bring the warmth of Christmas into our homes through many small, simple, yet refined gift ideas. The historic centers where they take place fill with color and life, offering objects and decorations to adorn the Christmas tree and your home, but also many ideas for both adults and children, for family or friends, and, why not, even for yourself.
There is no shortage of typical sweets from the refined South Tyrolean pastry shop, local handmade crafts among which stand out precious wooden nativity scenes, but also ceramics, decorated glass, lace, tablecloths, felt slippers, multicolored candles, and a thousand other original ideas to emphasize the warmth and friendship of this special moment. At some markets, it is also possible to find products “signed” by the Red Rooster, high-quality agricultural products. The Red Rooster brand, emblem of the South Tyrolean Farmers and Direct Growers Union, guarantees absolute genuineness and the most rigorous controls.
And for ski lovers, the ski lifts of the most famous resorts are in operation: this will be an opportunity to get in touch with the first snow and inaugurate a new ski season. The cities of the Markets invite you to experience Christmas in a joyful atmosphere, to be discovered and enjoyed every day.
Bolzano Christmas Market
Il Bolzano Christmas Market takes place in Piazza Walther and has been bringing joy since the last days of November: the wooden huts of the Christkindlmarkt become the heart of the city where you can choose Christmas gifts for relatives and friends, between a zelten (typical Bolzano cake) and a glass of mulled wine. Not far from here is the Enchanted Forest of Palais Campofranco and, in the Max Valier building, the Advent calendar is set up: every day a surprise will be revealed behind the windows of the facade. Between glances, you can enjoy homemade cookies, apple strudel or the famous Zelten, a Christmas cake symbol of Bolzano, accompanied by a steaming mulled wine. A visit to the South Tyrol Archaeological Museum is a must, where you can see up close Ötzi, the prehistoric man found in the Val Senales glacier. And to give your holiday a fairy-tale touch, you can stay at the Zundlhof farmhouse, located amidst vineyards and ideal for those traveling by bus or train: it is only one and a half kilometers from the center.
Bruneck Christmas Market
The Bruneck Christmas market is particularly dedicated to music: every weekend, among the wooden huts and the medieval houses of Via Centrale, alpine horn players and wind instrument musicians parade. Beautiful and finely crafted are the handmade toys and Christmas tree decorations. Among the stands, artisans demonstrating the working of ceramics, wood, and leather will not be missing.
In Bruneck, the capital of the Puster Valley overseen by the well-known Plan de Corones (a paradise for skiers), decorated candles, hand-woven linen and cotton tablecloths, and the precious bobbin laces typical of the nearby Aurina Valley, along with gastronomic specialties, including cheeses, are proudly displayed, with a whole tasting stand dedicated to them. An interesting opportunity is to follow some artisans through the different phases of their work. Those wishing to stay near Bruneck can choose the Fuchshof farm (fifty meters from the center), in a sunny position with a view of Plan de Corones. Equipment options for children available.
Bressanone Christmas Market
The Bressanone Christmas market takes you on a journey back in time, with its steam carousel, the city carriage ride, and the arrival of Saint Nicholas at the market in Cathedral Square. Among the many local handcrafted items, the glass angels stand out for their beauty. You must also visit the collection of nativity scenes in the Diocesan Museum, ancient pieces of great value, located in the Bishop’s Palace where the Diocesan Museum is housed.
At the center of Cathedral Square are the thirty stalls of the Christmas market. Here you can find wooden figures for the nativity scene (similar to those seen at the museum), typical embroidery, terracotta items, tree decorations, or toys. For the more creative children, there is the opportunity to participate in the Children’s Workshop where, with the help of qualified staff, they will create typical South Tyrolean decorations to hang at home. Just three kilometers from Bressanone is the Frötscherof, a historic 12th-century farmhouse, recently restored in a quiet location near the Plose ski area.
Merano Christmas Market
The Merano Christmas Market is, like the others, really very charming, with its wooden huts richly decorated with Christmas items, among which stand out the boiled wool slippers. Between one vendor and another, you can refresh yourself with Feuerzangbowle, a gastronomic specialty of Merano: it is sugarloaf soaked in rum left on a copper pot, inside which there is red wine. The droplets that fall, mixing pleasantly with the wine, give life to this particular drink, to be accompanied perhaps by a typical apple strudel. For the most curious and hardworking looking for DIY ideas, artisans will be present at the stands and, between one sale and another, will continue to forge iron, sew felt, and prepare balls for the Christmas tree.
Along the beautiful Lungo Passirio promenade, you will find: painted and chiseled glass, wrought iron objects, table decorations, and the legendary “Lebkuchen”, traditional cookies, fritters, apple strudel, and “Dinnede”, ancient forms of stuffed peasant bread. And at Club Stellina, the little ones will have fun in the bakery all for them or in the Workshop of Baby Jesus, from where they can send their little letters with their wishes. Not to be missed is the “gingerbread nativity scene” prepared by the city’s pastry chefs.
Vipiteno Christmas Market
Finally, as far as the Vipiteno Christmas market is concerned, it traditionally takes place in the shadow of the Zwölferturm, right in the historic center, among medieval walls, traces of the mining past, and the setup of Piazza Città.
Here too the market overflows with Christmas gift ideas, spices-scented sweets, and hot drinks, but the peculiarity of the Vipiteno market is the nativity scene, placed near the tower and characterized by figurines, all strictly handmade. Another reason that makes the Vipiteno Christmas market special, especially for children, is the daily custom of throwing gifts from the windows. The Christmas tree, finally, is richly decorated not only with baubles and local handicraft items but also with minerals, symbolizing the activity that brought prosperity to the area.
Vipiteno, a few kilometers from the Austrian border, offers a truly evocative market, hosted in the intimate square dominated by the Zwölferturm, the city’s symbol. A particular tradition is the Great Advent Calendar: from December 1st to 24th every afternoon at 5 p.m., some windows of the most beautiful buildings will open, just like in calendars with numbered little windows that are opened day by day and reveal a drawing linked to the period.
From these, small surprises will be thrown for children, accompanied by Christmas carols or the telling of a fairy tale. About seven kilometers from Vipiteno, in the Wipptal valley, there is the Bacherhof farm, with organic cultivation and specialized in excursions: from more challenging ones towards mountain huts and high-altitude glaciers to simpler ones for the less trained. Nearby there are ski and cross-country ski tracks. In winter, people also go to mountain huts with sledges.
Christmas Markets in the Tures Valleys and Aurina Valley
Campo Tures, in the Tures Valleys and Aurina, hosts the smallest and northernmost market in Italy. It lasts a whole month, from November 27 to the end of December 2004 (but only on weekends). Among about 80 peaks over 3000 meters, among slopes and ski lifts that delight all skiers worthy of the name, the thousand lights of the most awaited festival of the year sparkle in the evening. Saint Nicholas with gifts for children and the stalls in the square with the good and beautiful things of tradition, masterpieces of local craftsmanship, unavailable elsewhere, and the nostalgic songs of the valleys await you. Inside the Ries-Aurina Nature Park, the Niederunterer farm peeks out, half a kilometer from the village, near the ski and cross-country slopes.
