Rome is a popular Christmas destination among international tourists, and with good reason.
But before we get started on all the fun things to see and do (and eat), it's worth setting expectations if it's your first winter holiday in the Eternal City.
You won't find a snow-clad winter wonderland. While it does very occasionally snow in Rome, it's an extremely rare event that in any case doesn't tend to occur before January.
Daytime temperatures in December hover around 10-14C and rarely dip below freezing; expect grey clouds and possible rain, but not frost.
While Rome does have a few Christmas markets, they're nothing to rival those of northern Europe. They're fairly small, and you won't find much in the way of Christmas treats or mulled wine at most of them.
You also probably won't find a Christmas fair you love. The big ones in Rome tend to be ticketed and fairly expensive, and visitors often report being underwhelmed.
With those caveats out of the way, here's what you can look forward to when spending Christmas in Rome.
Light displays at the botanical gardens
If you're seeking some Christmas charm, look no further than the colourful light show in Rome's botanical gardens in the central Trastevere district.
The Trame di luce ('textures of light') display runs from 6pm to 11pm most days of the week (excluding December 24th, 25th and 31st) until January 6th, with last entry at 9pm.
This year's display includes 22 separate light installations and a food and beverage area dotted with food trucks and stands.
Tickets are available here.
Open-air Christmas decorations
To enjoy some of the most beautiful Christmas displays in Rome, you don't need to pay a centesimo (cent).
The presepe (nativity scene) in St Peter's square is life-sized; this year's display is a tribute to the lagoon city of Grado, in Italy's northeastern Friuli Venezia Giulia region.
Outside St Peter's you'll also find the seventh edition of the Vatican's 100 presepi exhibition, which sees 125 nativity scenes from around the world displayed among the square's colonnades.
The Vatican's Christmas tree is one of the city's most impressive. This year, it's a 29-metre-tall red fir tree from the Ledro valley, Trento.
To stroll under a tunnel of Christmas lights, walk from Piazza Venezia down the Via del Corso or Via dei Condotti, Rome's major intersecting shopping streets, towards the Spanish Steps; less central areas including the Cinecittà neighbourhood, Nuovo Salario, Ostia and Colle Prenestino will also be illuminated this year.
And if you want to see one of the world's oldest presepi, head to the Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica; the nativity scene displayed here dates back to the 13th century, when it was commissioned by Pope Nicholas IV.
Ice-skating
Rome's temperatures rarely drop below 0C in the winter, but that doesn't mean fans of the ice won't find an opportunity to get their skates on.
Those buying tickets to Christmas World, the Christmas fair in the sprawling Villa Borghese park by Piazza del Popolo, will find a 900-square-metre rink there.
Smaller ice rinks can be found at Eur Christmas Rome, in Piazza Don Luigi Sturzo, as well as the central Piazza Cavour and Piazza Re di Roma, in the Tuscolano district, as part of the yearly IcePark scheme.
Attend the 2025 Jubilee's opening ceremony
Though the bulk of the Vatican’s Jubilee Year celebrations will be held in 2025, the inaugural ceremony will be held on Christmas Eve of this year, with Pope Francis opening the Holy Door of St Peter's Basilica at 7pm.
This door is only opened during Jubilee Years – special years of grace when the Catholic Church offers the faithful the chance to receive plenary indulgence, meaning the forgiveness of sins for themselves or deceased relatives.
The event will be shown on large screens installed in St Peter's Square and will be followed by the traditional Midnight Mass.
The mass service will be free of charge but attendants will have to register their presence on the Vatican's official Jubilee portal. You can expect the piazza to be very crowded on this occasion.
On Christmas Day, the pope will deliver his yearly Urbi et Orbi address from the balcony at midday. No tickets are required.
Christmas food and drinks
Despite having more or less invented the drink millennia ago, Rome isn't really big on mulled wine (vin brulè, 'burnt wine' in Italian). You'll have to go further north for that.
That doesn't mean it's impossible to find, but it's more something you'll stumble upon very occasionally than a beverage you can expect to find readily available in bars or Christmas markets.
What Rome does have plenty of is castagne - chestnuts - roasted on large metal plates and served in paper cones. These are the perfect way to keep warm while wandering the city's streets.
And despite the lack of mulled wine, Rome's enoteca wine bars are ideal places to duck into when you need a little refreshment.
At this time of year you're likely to find them invitingly decked out with Christmas lights, and many provide street heaters if you want to sit outside.
Panettone, Italy's candied fruit and raisin-studded brioche Christmas cake, will be on offer in most bakeries, and you'll find torrone (nougat) in shops and market stalls.
If you're looking to eat at a restaurant on Christmas day, you're likely to be served traditional seasonal dishes such as tortellini in brodo followed by roast lamb, and panettone or its sister cake pandoro for dessert.
The Fork has a list of restaurants open on Christmas day and New Year's Eve.
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