New Year's Eve in Italy is a great idea for a family holiday or for a romantic trip. The Italians are no less, and maybe even a little more, than the Russians, love all kinds of holidays and celebrate them merrily and on a grand scale, so you definitely will not be bored during the New Year holidays.
On the eve of the New Year, Rome, Venice and other Italian cities and villages put on festive dresses - traditional fir trees appear on the streets and squares, buildings and trees are decorated with sparkling lanterns and garlands, and shop windows with Christmas sketches.
As in any other country, Italy has its own traditions of celebration, for example, it is believed that if you drink beer instead of traditional champagne in the first minutes of the coming year, luck will accompany the whole year, and if the number of dishes on the New Year’s table is equal to thirteen - it’s sure that you won’t get away from luck. In more detail about the features of the celebration of Christmas and New Year in Italy, we wrote here.
There are a lot of people who want to celebrate the New Year on the Apennines, so you should think about buying a tour or organizing your trip in advance.
New Year in Rome
Festive events gathering everyone who decided to celebrate the New Year in Rome take place on city squares - in recent years it has become very fashionable for the Romans to celebrate the New Year at home with their families, and then go for a walk around the city, moving from one square to another.
Romans prefer to celebrate New Year at home with their family
The celebration center is Piazza del Popolo - music plays all night and fireworks fly up into the air. In the morning, the time of children arrives - while adults rest after a stormy night, circus artists perform on the square for them: clowns and acrobats. Here, near the church of Santa Maria del Popolo, by Christmas, an exhibition of Christmas creches brought from all regions of Italy is organized.
Rock and pop stars perform on the Via dei Fori Imperiali, next to the Coliseum, on New Year's Eve, and a concert of classical music takes place on the square in front of the Quirinale Palace, interrupted only by salvos and fireworks.
New Year in Venice
Venetians and guests of the city celebrate the New Year on Piazza San Marco - a grand concert and a magnificent pyrotechnic show are organized there, and mass kisses are arranged at midnight. The tradition of kissing under the chiming clock has arisen recently - after the competition for the longest kiss.
Concert and pyrotechnic show on Piazza San Marco
You can also celebrate the New Year in Venice more calmly - by reserving a table in one of the cozy restaurants or cafes, where you will be offered a special holiday menu, as well as excellent Italian wines. By the way, on the first day of the new year, many city cafes are closed, but you will not stay hungry - restaurants, hotels, pizzerias, and also Chinese restaurants work without days off.
Walking near the Lido beach, do not be surprised to see bathers - the locals, overwhelmed with drinks on New Year's Eve, are struggling in such an unusual way with a hangover, despite the fact that the weather in December in Italy is not very conducive to long-distance swimming.
New Year in Rimini
In Rimini, a party town located on the Adriatic coast, the New Year is celebrated noisily and merrily. You can go to one of the many night clubs or bars or light up in the morning on Piazza Fellini, where on New Year's Eve a grand festival is organized with music, dancing, all kinds of entertainment and indispensable fireworks.
Neapolitan pyrotechnic shows are considered among the best in Italy.
New Year in Naples
Naples, like many cities in Italy, during the New Year holidays turns into a large concert venue - performances of musical groups, as well as concerts of classical music, are everywhere. Naples is also famous for its fireworks - the Naples pyrotechnic shows are considered one of the best spectacular events in the country.
Walking through the streets of Naples on New Year's Eve, be careful - a pile of clothes or some piece of furniture may well fall onto your head, because in some areas of the city the custom to throw old things out of windows is still preserved. There is another interesting tradition that has been preserved both in the city itself and in the surrounding area: groups of children go from house to house and sing New Year and Christmas songs, in gratitude, the owners must pay the singers or treat them with sweets so that they do not leave the house in the coming year luck.
New Year in Florence
In Florence, New Year’s concerts are usually held on Signoria Square and Republic Square, but magnificent midnight fireworks are best admired from one of the bridges on the Arno River.
In Florence, New Year's concerts are held in the squares of Signoria and the Republic
The restaurants prepare special New Year's dishes, but since there are many who wish on New Year's Eve, you need to reserve a table in advance. All night the fun does not cease in the popular nightclubs and bars of Florence.
New Year in Pisa
Entertainment events in Pisa are usually concentrated in the city center - traditional concerts and discos are organized here, as well as indispensable New Year's fireworks. New Year’s concert is also held at the Verdi Theater.
New Year's concerts in Pisa are concentrated in the city center
New Year in Turin
Residents and guests of Turin celebrate the New Year on Piazza San Carlo, where a fun New Year’s parade is taking place, as well as a grand concert ending with no less grandiose fireworks.
New Year in Bologna
In Bologna, the New Year is celebrated somewhat unusual - on the main city square, Piazza Maggiore, a scarecrow of the old man symbolizes the past year is burned on New Year's Eve: it is believed that together with the scarecrow, all the troubles and hardships of the old year are burned and hope that the coming year will be born much better.
On New Year's Eve, a scarecrow of an old man is burned on Piazza Maggiore
In leap years, instead of the old man, they burn the old woman. The bonfire is accompanied by a concert, a disco and traditional fireworks, without which it is difficult to imagine the New Year in Italy.
Photos by: Vito Parlato, Erik Peterson, neigesdantan, Simone Rabassini, Carrie Meathrell, Yulia Mysko, jonesjo87.
