Italian Christmas traditions and food...

​Christmas holidays in Italy start with the Day of Immaculate Conception on December 8th. This Catholic holiday celebrates the conception of the Virgin Mary as free from sin because she was conceived immaculately. Despite the religious nature of this day, many families use this free day to get together and start decorating their Christmas trees.

The festive season then runs until Epiphany on January 6th. That’s when the Three Wise Men arrived in Bethlehem with their gifts for the Baby Jesus.

When it comes to exchanging presents, Italians don’t have a specific day dedicated to that. While some exchange gifts on...

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