Christmas in Lucca 2025: lights, markets, and magic in the heart of Tuscany

From November 22, 2025, to January 6, 2026, Lucca transforms into a festive wonderland, welcoming visitors and locals in an enchanted atmosphere. It’s the brightest time of the year, and the city celebrates it with a rich programme of events, decorations, traditions, and special moments to enjoy together.

The Christmas markets, where you can find small but precious gifts and travel mementos, the lights on the streets and historic buildings that fill the city with festive emotion, the Christmas trees and nativity scenes—whether classic, contemporary, traditional or unusual—create a magical setting.

Don’t miss the Santa Claus Village, where children can experience their most awaited moment of the year, or the ice skating rink—a fun activity for families, a joyful one with friends, or a romantic one with your partner.

There will also be guided tours to discover the secrets of the city, lots of music, and cherished renewed traditions.

📍 More information:

https://turismo.lucca.it/lucca-magico-natale/

Every year, on January 6th, around 4:00 PM, Pistoia comes alive with one of the most anticipated and enchanting traditions of the Christmas season: the descent of the Befana from the bell tower of the Cathedral of San Zeno. This unique event is a mix of excitement, magic, and folklore that captivates both young and old, turning the city’s historic center into the vibrant heart of Epiphany celebrations.

The Befana, a symbolic figure of Italian folklore, is a character deeply rooted in popular culture. According to legend, on the night between January 5th and 6th, this elderly woman flies on a broomstick to deliver sweets and gifts to well-behaved children, while leaving coal for those who have been a bit naughty. In Pistoia, this tradition comes spectacularly to life, transforming the city into an open-air stage.

The highlight of the day is the breathtaking descent of the Befana from the bell tower of the Cathedral of San Zeno, one of Pistoia’s most iconic structures. With its 67 meters in height, it dominates Piazza del Duomo.

In the early afternoon, the crowd begins to gather in the square, surrounded by colorful stalls and the enticing aroma of traditional sweets. The atmosphere is made even livelier by Christmas music, street performers, and children’s entertainment. When the Befana finally appears at the top of the bell tower, the audience holds its breath. Dressed in her characteristic attire – apron, scarf, and broomstick – she begins her descent using a system of ropes and pulleys, delivering a moment of pure magic.

Accompanied by applause, shouts of excitement, and the musical backdrop of a local band, the Befana reaches the ground, greeted by the amazed faces of children who rush to meet her and receive sweets or small gifts from her hands.

Organizing an event of this scale requires weeks of preparation. The descent of the Befana is made possible thanks to the collaboration of mountaineering experts, firefighters, and local volunteers, who ensure both safety and the success of the initiative. Every detail is meticulously planned to guarantee an experience that is thrilling yet safe for all.

To celebrate Epiphany, on Tuesday, January 6, 2026, at 10:00 AM, the historical parade will depart from Piazza San Francesco and make its way through the main streets of the city center, accompanying the Three Wise Men to the Cathedral of San Zeno, where they will offer their gifts to the Holy Family in the Living Nativity Scene.

Until April 6th, the exhibition "MARINO MARINI: PAINTING" is on view at the Museo del Novecento e del Contemporaneo in Palazzo Fabroni, Pistoia.

Visitors are presented with a colorful selection of paintings by one of the most important artists of the 20th century, Marino Marini (1901–1980). The works span from the mid-1920s to the mid-1970s.

The exhibition allows guests to fully appreciate the richness and variety of Marini’s pictorial research, also thanks to selected comparisons with sculptures and drawings.

The displayed works highlight the expressive power of Marini’s use of color and the versatility of his line: at times finely outlining Pomonas, jugglers, or graceful ballerinas, at others powerfully capturing the dynamic energy of horses and riders — all the way to the radical expression of the "cry".

Opening hours:

Tuesday to Friday: 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM

Saturday, Sunday, holidays, January 2 and 5: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM

Closed on Mondays.

From September 26, 2025 to January 25, 2026, Fondazione Palazzo Strozzi and the Museo di San Marco in Florence present “Beato Angelico”, an extraordinary and unrepeatable exhibition dedicated to the iconic artist of the 15th century and one of the greatest masters of Italian art of all time.

The exhibition brings together over 140 works — including paintings, drawings, sculptures, and illuminated manuscripts — in a unique itinerary across the two venues of Palazzo Strozzi and the Museo di San Marco.

It explores the production, development, and influence of Beato Angelico's art, as well as his connections with other artists of his time.

This is the first major exhibition in Florence dedicated to the artist, exactly seventy years after the landmark monographic show in 1955.

🔗 Discover the exhibition and buy tickets online: https://ow.ly/7g1R50Wtrsi

TOULOUSE-LAUTREC

A Journey into the Paris of the Belle Époque

September 27 – February 22

Over 170 works by the French artist, coming from Hamburg and Albi, alongside period materials and masterpieces by other great contemporary artists.

An immersive experience into the heart of fin-de-siècle Montmartre.

Venue: Museo degli Innocenti, Piazza Santissima Annunziata 13

🕤 Opening hours: 9:30 AM – 7:00 PM

☎️ +39 055 2037122

🎟️ Tickets: €17.50 / €15.50 / €8.50

Giovanni Fattori (1825–1908): Livorno celebrates 200 years of the master of the Macchia

On the bicentenary of his birth, the city dedicates to the artist a major exhibition, a cultural enhancement project and an urban itinerary that intertwines art, history and territory.

From 6 September 2025 to 11 January 2026, the exhibition “Giovanni Fattori. A Revolution in Painting”, at Villa Mimbelli, home of the “G. Fattori” Civic Museum, will present more than 200 works including paintings, drawings and etchings. An extraordinary opportunity to discover or rediscover the pictorial universe of an artist who revolutionized 19th-century figurative language.

An artist of the Macchia and of real life, far from official rhetoric, Fattori portrayed nature and society with authenticity and depth. His works convey the heat of the sun, the toil of work in the fields and the dignity of people, in a pictorial language where color and light become protagonists.

The places of Fattori: a city itinerary

The celebrations extend beyond the museum, with an itinerary through the places linked to Fattori: from his birthplace to the San Marco Theater, from the Cathedral to the statue at Largo del Cisternino, up to the landscapes immortalized in his paintings such as the Tamarisk of Antignano and the Palmieri Baths.

Thanks to interactive plaques with QR Codes, visitors will be able to access digital textual and audio content, enriching the experience with an immersive and multidisciplinary approach.

📍 Where: Villa Mimbelli – “G. Fattori” Civic Museum, Livorno

📅 Dates: 6 September 2025 – 11 January 2026

⏰ Hours:

Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00 am – 7:00 pm

open on public holidays

September: Friday, Saturday and Sunday extended opening until 10:00 pm

🎟️ Tickets:

Full: € 15

Reduced: € 12

Combined Exhibition + Casa Medici: € 18 (reduced € 15)

Combined Exhibition + Casa Medici + City Museum: € 20 (reduced € 17)

Free admission: under 18, 100% disabled visitors with companion, journalists

👉 Online presale: www.museofattori.livorno.it

📞 Contacts: +39 0586 824607

📧 Email: infomuseofattori@comune.livorno.it

Antonio Ligabue – The Roar of the Soul at the Arsenali Repubblicani in Pisa

From December 26, 2025 to May 10, 2026, the city of Pisa will host the exhibition "Antonio Ligabue – The Roar of the Soul" in the fascinating setting of the Arsenali Repubblicani.

This extraordinary exhibition offers a deep journey into the tormented and brilliant soul of Ligabue, one of the most intense artists of the Italian 20th century. Through paintings, drawings, and documents, the exhibition tells the story of his difficult life and his incredible ability to transform pain and marginalization into pure art. A precious opportunity to rediscover his voice—strong, universal, and still deeply moving today.Antonio Ligabue – The Roar of the Soul at the Arsenali Repubblicani in Pisa

From December 26, 2025 to May 10, 2026, the city of Pisa will host the exhibition "Antonio Ligabue – The Roar of the Soul" in the fascinating setting of the Arsenali Repubblicani.

This extraordinary exhibition offers a deep journey into the tormented and brilliant soul of Ligabue, one of the most intense artists of the Italian 20th century. Through paintings, drawings, and documents, the exhibition tells the story of his difficult life and his incredible ability to transform pain and marginalization into pure art. A precious opportunity to rediscover his voice—strong, universal, and still deeply moving today.

La Belle Époque on display in Pisa: a journey through art, elegance and inspiration

Until April 7, 2026, Palazzo Blu in Pisa hosts the exhibition "BELLE ÉPOQUE. Italian Painters in Paris in the Age of Impressionism" – a cultural event of great charm that will transport you to the bright and vibrant Paris of the late 19th century.

A golden age, told through the eyes of Italian artists

The Belle Époque was a period of extraordinary artistic and social vitality, and Paris was its beating heart. In this effervescent setting, many Italian painters moved to the French capital, coming into contact with the masters of Impressionism and drawing inspiration from light, color and modernity.

The exhibition brings together extraordinary works by Italian artists who lived and painted in Paris, engaging in dialogue with the great European movements while maintaining a unique, sensitive and deeply Italian perspective.

📍 Palazzo Blu, in the historic center of Pisa

🕐 Opening hours

Monday–Friday: 10:00 am – 7:00 pm

Saturday, Sunday and public holidays: 10:00 am – 8:00 pm

(Last admission one hour before closing)

💶 Ticket prices

Full price (weekdays): €15

Full price (Saturday, Sunday and public holidays): €16

Reduced price: €13 (e.g. visitors over 70, ages 18–25, groups, conventions)

🎼✨ Experience the magic of Montecarlo Fortress by candlelight ✨🎼

From November 9, 2025, to March 22, 2026, the enchanting Fortress of Montecarlo (LU) will be lit by candles and torches to offer you a unique journey through art, music, and history.

Each evening includes a guided candlelight tour inside the Fortress, followed by a live concert featuring renowned national and international artists, in an intimate and timeless atmosphere.

📅 Dates: from November 9, 2025, to March 22, 2026

🕖 Tours start at 5:00 PM – concert to follow

🎄 Saturday, December 20: special night event – start at 8:45 PM

🎟️ Ticket: €20.00 – Discounted for residents: €15.00

📍 Montecarlo Fortress – Via Fortezza, 4

📧 Info & Reservations: info@fortezzadimontecarlo.com

📞 +39 350 0354687 (also on WhatsApp)

🎶 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐂𝐄𝐑𝐓 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐆𝐑𝐀𝐌 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓/𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔 🎶

November 9, 2025 – Tribute to Astor Piazzolla

🎹 Massimo Signorini – accordion

November 23, 2025 – The Music of the House of Lorraine

🎤 Patrizia Cigna – soprano | 🎹 Giovanni Giannini – piano

December 7, 2025 – Cantiamo Maria

🎤 Maria Cioppi – soprano | 🎹 Silvia Mannari – piano

December 20, 2025 (Saturday) – Christmas Concert

🎶 Coro dell’Immacolata di Empoli & Corale Arrigoni di Ponte Buggianese

🎼 Conducted by M° Alessandro Bartolozzi

January 11, 2026 – Viennese Waltzes and More

🎤 Paola Cigna – soprano | 🎹 Silvia Mannari – piano

January 18, 2026 – An Opera Harp: Belcanto Highlights

🎵 Davide Burani – harp

February 1, 2026 – Rossini’s Soirées Musicales

🎤 Patrizia Cigna – soprano | 🎹 Silvia Mannari – piano

February 22, 2026 – Ti darò quel fior!

🎭 Chamber – and bedroom – arias

🎙️ Fabrizio Corucci – voice | 🎹 Ilaria Innocenti – piano

March 8, 2026 – Forgotten Women Composers

🎤 Maria Cioppi – soprano | 🎷 Roberta Fantozzi – clarinet | 🎹 Silvia Mannari – piano

March 22, 2026 – Stabat Mater by Pergolesi

🎤 Maria Cioppi – soprano | 🎤 Rosa Manfredonia – mezzo-soprano | 🎹 Silvia Mannari – piano

Lucca – Giovanni Boldini: The Seduction of Painting – from December 2, 2025 to June 2, 2026

La Cavallerizza, Piazzale Verdi, Lucca

An exhibition of over 100 works tracing the evolution of Giovanni Boldini's painting through the lens of feminine beauty—the focus of his continuous aesthetic exploration and deep psychological investigation. Boldini crafted an idealized model of grace and elegance.

An undisputed master of elegance and portraiture between the 19th and 20th centuries, Boldini placed the female image at the heart of his artistic world. With vibrant brushstrokes and a refined play of light and movement, he captured not only the outer grace of his models—their fashion, their social allure, the very spirit of their era—but also their inner psychological depth, giving life to a timeless ideal of femininity and charm.

He portrayed the vital spirit, the grace of gestures, and the intensity of their gazes, transforming his subjects into icons of sensuality and modernity.

Curated by Tiziano Panconi, the exhibition will be open from December 2, 2025, to June 2, 2026, at La Cavallerizza, Piazzale Verdi, Lucca.

The famous Antiques Fair of Arezzo is one of the most important and largest antique fairs in Italy, held every first Sunday of the month and the preceding Saturday.

Pictures and paintings, small jewels, ancient and modern furniture, carpets, clocks, silverware, toys, books and vintage prints, collection stamps, musical instruments, gramophones and radios: it is easy to be charmed and indulge in discovering one of the biggest and oldest Italian Antiques Fairs. 

In 1968 a famous antiquarian and collector of Arezzo, Ivan Bruschi, gave birth to this fair which still today fills with its curious bric-a-brac the old town centre, its streets, yards, Vasari Loggia and wonderful Piazza Grande, every first weekend of the month.

For two days the town changes into a multicolor scenery of treasures waiting to be discovered by tourists and collectors: over five hundreds exhibitors from all over Italy meet here with their furniture and objects of all periods and styles, while antiquarians and restorers have multiplied their business, opening their shops during the fair and showing their best items. Experts of antiques and modern antique collecting find here plenty of particular specializations, such as, for instance, scientific tools, Art-Nouveau stained glass windows, Art Deco furnishing.

First Sunday of the month: museums free entrance

It is a very important event involving all the State Museums with specials and free tickets access. Therefore, if you plan to visit Florence, Pisa, Lucca or any other Tuscan town our countless masterpieces without spending one Euro!

For instance in Florence you can visit: the Uffizi Gallery, Academy Museum, Pitti Palace and Boboli Gardens, Bargello Museum, Medici Chapels, and many other attractions. All of them free of charge!

List of  State Museums in Tuscany HERE. 

As usual, every second Saturday of the month, the next Brocantage at Porta a Mare returns to Livorno on January 11th, an event that has become a fixed appointment for vintage and antique enthusiasts. This market takes place in the stunning setting along the canal and in the adjacent squares of the Center, recently awarded as the best environmental recovery project at the European level.

The center, overlooking the Darsena (future tourist harbor), is situated on the canals that cross the city center (the Fossi Reali), at the beginning of the famous seaside promenade (Viale Italia), which leads to the Mascagni Terrace and the Aquarium, just 200 meters from the city’s iconic monument (the Four Moors), and half a kilometer from the historic Central Market.

It’s a great opportunity to spend a day in Livorno, exploring over a hundred stalls filled with all kinds of objects from the past, while experiencing the charm of the city. And don’t miss the chance to enjoy its rich and flavorful traditional Livornese cuisine!

Saturday Night Spa

Saturday, January 17, 24 and 31

from 7:30 PM to midnight

For an evening of pure relaxation, pamper yourself with a soothing bath under the stars in the thermal pool with rejuvenating whirlpools and

reinvigorate yourself with a steam bath in Europe's largest thermal cave at 34°C.

Includes:

Steam bath in natural thermal cave at 34°C (20 minutes)

Bathing under the stars in the 750 sqm thermal pool at 34°C with underwater whirlpools

Bathing in the Bioaquam thermal path at 34°C with rejuvenating whirlpools

Access to the Thermarium area

Access to the "Bioaquam Pavilion" the new covered and heated relaxation area of 310 m2

Lounge music

€35.00 by reservation

Bioaquam Café poolside open with à la carte menu

(payment upon consumption)

For more information, call 

+39 0572/9077992 or email terme@grottagiustispa.com

https://terme.grottagiustispa.com

In Pistoia, the second Saturday and Sunday of the month an antique fair is held which attracts  many dealers from all over Tuscany. Here you can find very valuable antiques: furniture, majolica, porcelain, jewelery, clocks, coins, old lacework, crystal goblets and profane and religious period paintings.

On the stalls you can find clothing, utensils and ethnic products, as well as magazines, comics, used garments and other items from the past. 

The market takes place in the so called Cattedrale - not to confuse with the real Cathedral - (Via Pertini) - eccept July and August.

There are about 100 exhibitors who animate the historic city center with various kinds of antiques every second Saturday and Sunday of the month except July and August.

You will find ceramics, glassware and cutlery for a romantic table setting and a very good range of embroidered linen (perhaps an untouched trousseau from a failed marriage). Also sepia paintings, watercolours, vintage  postcards (full of insight into how we lived in the past and complete with shaky handwriting), out-of-print books for the attentive book collector, silver and gold coins from every corner of the globe and much, much more.

Where: Pisa, Piazza dei Cavalieri, Piazza Garibaldi

Second among the antique-dealers' market places of Tuscany for the number of its exhibitors and length of life, the Antique market of Lucca can boast of a solid tradition of quality and reliability thanks to professional antiquarians of high prestige who have always been an important presence in town. 

At the third weekend of each month (on Saturday and Sunday), from 8 am to 7 pm, Lucca opens its gates for a joyful event involving a large portion of the historical centre: from Piazza S. Martino, Piazza Antelminelli and Via Del Battistero - the historical antique dealers' street- ‚ to Piazza San Giusto, and Piazza S. Giovanni up to Piazza Bernardini. It is a gorgeous display of colorful stalls offering not only past vestiges of remarkable artistic value, but also traces of souvenirs impressed on a post-card, on a book, on a knick-knack or on an ornament. 

Furniture, clothes, fabrics, paintings, rare components of old instruments, lamps and chandeliers, old working tools, records..... a wide pattern of old or antique objects‚ patiently gathered and collected after explorations which

are getting more and more difficult. All these things speak to both the tourist and the lover, of a world, which has gone, but not willing to be forgotten yet.

Two unforgettable days around the most charming

streets of the town. It is Art facing Art, History meeting History. A really unique occasion to know Lucca better and taste the pleasure of peeping through the stalls in search of something beautiful to take home and - why not?- probably also making a good bargain!