Italy is looking forward to a 2022-23 Christmas and New Year period with very few Covid rules in place after celebrations were limited in the past two years.
As well as family gatherings and events, this means the return of restriction-free holiday travel, and Italian residents as well as international visitors are planning to return to the country’s best-loved tourist hotspots for a break over this festive season.
Rome was named Italy’s most sought-after destination for a Christmas break among tourists from the US, France, Spain, Brazil and Germany in a survey by rental platform Airbnb.
The Italian cities of Florence, Milan, Venice and Naples also scored highly among international tourists in the Airbnb survey, which ranked destinations searched for (not bookings made) in the December 18th-January 2nd period, reported Italian financial newspaper Il Sole 24 Ore.
The Italian capital was also the top European city break destination among British visitors planning to travel over the Christmas season, according to a survey by UK low-cost airline easyJet, which ranked Rome ahead of Paris, Amsterdam and Berlin.
Reasons given for Rome’s particular appeal at Christmas included the city's light displays, religious ceremonies, and an "air of seasonal romance", according to a report in the UK’s Daily Mirror.
READ ALSO: How to make the most of a Christmas break in Rome
Italians meanwhile favoured the country’s ski resorts and national parks in their Airbnb searches for winter break accommodation.
The northern province of Trentino-Alto Adige was named the most popular part of Italy among Italians travelling this winter, with four entries in the top ten: the popular ski destinations of Merano and Andalo, and the cities of Trento and Bolzano.
The top ten also included Breuil-Cervinia in Valle d'Aosta, Roccaraso in Abruzzo, Verona in Aosta in Valle d'Aosta and Aprica in Lombardy, all of which are popular for winter sports and mountain scenery.
The city of Verona in Veneto, known for its Christmas markets and romantic atmosphere as well as being a short distance from popular ski resorts, was also a favourite among Italian holidaymakers.
READ ALSO: Where to see Italy's most magical Christmas displays in 2022
Meanwhile, the most searched-for destinations for a break in 2023 among Italians included New York, Barcelona, Paris, Amsterdam and Naples, according to Airbnb.
For New Year's Eve celebrations, Rome, Milan, Venice, Naples and Bologna are the top Italian destinations for foreign visitors, according to a report by the Dire news agency, using booking data from the Edreams travel website.
Most international visitors at New Year will come from Spain (24 percent), followed by France (17 percent) and Germany (14 percent), the report found.
For Italians, the top three European destinations for New Year's Eve were Paris, Barcelona and London.
The top ten featured Milan and the southern Italian cities of Naples, Catania and Palermo.
Comments