Traditional Christmas Foods in Italy - Italian Christmas Food To Try This Holiday Season

Last updated on January 12th, 2025

Christmas in Italy is one of the country’s most important moments religiously but also brings so much joy, magic and good food to the table. It’s considered by many Italians, including my family, the most important holiday of the year.

Whether you are here visiting Italy for the holiday season or looking to celebrate a little differently this year with a bit of Italian cheer, then you need the 411 on the most traditional Christmas foods in Italy. I have been living here in Italy since 2012, giving me expert insight and knowledge on Italian food, holiday traditions and Christmas specialties.

Most Italians spend their Christmas Day with family and friends in the kitchen, eating delicious holiday food (lots of it!) and drinking plenty of good wine.

If you are touring Italy during this time, you’re in luck. Although most stores are closed on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, some restaurants do stay open. Leave it to Italians to keep their kitchens open on the most important holiday!

So join me as I share with you the most traditional Christmas foods in Italy. I’ve included:

Regional differences in traditional Christmas foods in Italy
A comprehensive list of regional Christmas foods in Italy to make and try
Where to eat each one
What a typical Christmas Eve dinner and Christmas Day meal looks like

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Regional Differences In Traditional Christmas Foods In Italy

Italian buffet table set up with candles with a white table cloth from side view.

If you come to Italy or have Italian roots, you might already know that there are significant differences in traditional Christmas foods in Italy between the north and south.

Just like day to day food practices and traditions, holidays seem to follow the same general food tendencies:

Northern regions eat more rice and polenta
Central regions eat more stuffed pasta and ribbon egg pasta
Southern regions tend to make a lot of semolina pasta by hand
Italian islands and coastal towns and cities eat more seafood
Mainland towns generally eat more pork, poultry and beef
Most Italian cheese and cured meat (charcuterie) enjoyed for Christmas is made within that region
Bread served at the table will be regional. You can read all about this in Bread in Italy.

Christmas Foods In Italy Across All 20 Regions

Food on a table in two large pans for a Christmas Eve dinner in Italy. Decorative plates are set and a child's arm sits next to one of the plates. — *Our family’s Christmas Eve dinner table in Tuscany*

Italy is still a very regional country meaning that each of Italy’s 20 regions identifies and differentiates itself uniquely from one another, including the traditional Christmas foods that are made and enjoyed for the holidays.

While some Christmas foods have become beloved across the entire peninsula (such as pandoro and panettone, spaghetti with clam sauce and roasted sea bass), many traditional Christmas foods in Italy are still only served within its region of origin.

This being said, all Italians generally structure their Christmas meals similarly and adhering to similar Christmas food traditions. Traditional Christmas dinners and lunches in Italy usually:

Start with an aperitivo (prosecco, white wine or light cocktail or other non-alcoholic Italian drink)
Go to the table starting with an appetizer
Continue with a first course (starch based) followed by the main course (meat or fish based) accompanied by various side dishes
Are finished with dessert including fruit and nuts
Aid in digestion with Italian coffee and a digestif

Regional Christmas Foods In Italy

If you are traveling to Italy during the Christmas holidays, be sure to keep your eyes out for these popular Christmas foods.

Traditional Christmas Foods In Italy Served As A First Courses

All holidays meals in Italy include a first course (primo), usually the starch, made from rice, pasta, polenta or in the form of a soup.

Risotto

close up of white plate with bight yellow rice on marble background. only showing half of the plate. — *Risotto alla milanese is one of our favorite vegetarian meals*

Where To Eat It: Veneto and Lombardy

In northern Italy, it’s more common to eat rice than pasta and this is no different on Christmas Day. Popular Christmas risotti are made with radicchio, artichokes or with saffron.

Tortellini in Brodo

Where To Eat It: Emilia-Romagna

Tortellini are a handmade filled pasta with a mix of pork loin, raw ham, mortadella, Parmigiano Reggiano, eggs, and nutmeg enjoyed on Christmas Day. Traditionally, tortellini are cooked xx and served in a broth of beef, capon or chicken, making it a staple on Christmas menus in central Italy.

Agnolotti di Plin

top view of pile of small square yellow fresh egg pasta squares on a marble background.

Where To Eat It: Piedmont

Agnolotti, a traditional stuffed pasta from Piedmont, is square-shaped and filled with roasted meat. It can be served with various sauces like a wine reduction, butter and sage or in a bone broth. Look for these in Northern Italy around the holiday season.

Lasagne

Where To Eat It: Emilia-Romagna, Tuscany, Le Marche

Lasagne is a traditional Christmas first course served through much of Italy. While every region is famed for their own spin on the classic recipe, the lasagne bolognese from Emilia Romagna is the most popular and widespread.

Traditional Christmas Foods In Italy Served As A Main Courses

Display of fish and seafood with prices at fish market outdoors in italy.

The main course at Christmas is the star of the show showcasing some of Italy’s best recipes and ingredients.

Roasted Veal

Where To Eat It: Northern Italy

Roasted veal is a traditional Christmas food in Italy that is served as the main course on Christmas Day. This is what our family typically makes (or a traditional roast beef).

Bollito Misto

Where To Eat It: Tuscany

Boiled meat, vegetables and potatoes served with salsa verde (or Tuscan salsa verde in Tuscany) and mayonnaise.

Lamb

Where To Eat It: Anywhere

Lamb is typically reserved for Easter day, but some Italian households enjoy lamb on Christmas Day as well.

Seafood

Where To Eat It: Southern Italy, Sicily, Sardinia and coastal cities and towns

It’s tradition in Italy to serve seafood on Christmas Eve in Italy. The whole meal is likely to be made up of a wide variety of fish dishes including mussels, clams, cod, sea bass, octopus and calamari.

Below is a short list of the most popular seafood served on Christmas Eve in Italy:

Baccalà – salt cod prepared any number of ways including in baccalà mantecato, alla livornese or fritto.
Orata/Spigola al forno – oven roasted sea bream/sea bass
Calamari ripieni – stuffed calamari
Polpo/moscardini alla Luciana – octopus or small baby octopus stewed with tomatoes, olives, capers, and garlic
Seppie in umido – Cuttlefish stewed in a tomato sauce

Capon

Where To Eat It: Bologna, Modena, Umbria

Capon is the preferred way to make really good stock for serving tortellini in brodo but is also considered the best tasting poultry you can have. Simply roasted with other vegetables and served with mashed potatoes is a popular Christmas food enjoyed in Italy.

Traditional Christmas Foods In Italy Served For Dessert

side view of panforte being sold in tuscany with hand written sign indicating what it is and how to store it.

Italy is full of wonderful traditional Christmas desserts, all of which are still very regional except for pandoro and panettone.

Pandoro

Where To Eat It: Verona

Pandoro, a traditional sweet yeast bread from Verona, has a star shape and distinct vanilla and citrus zest flavors. It is dusted with confectioners’ sugar and served sliced in stars with mascarpone cream.

Learn how my family loves to make a beautiful presentation on Christmas Day in How My Italian Family Cuts Pandoro.

Panettone

Where To Eat It: Milan

Panettone, a soft, naturally leavened brioche bread from Lombardy, is made into a dome shape and enriched with candied fruit, orange peel (or other candied fruit), and raisins. There are many modern variations, including chocolate or pistachio glaze, or filled with cream.

Learn how to cut it correctly in How To Cut Panettone Correctly – Traditions From An Italian Family In Tuscany.

Panforte

Where To Eat It: Siena

Panforte, a Tuscan Christmas cake, dates back to the year 1000 made from ground nuts, honey and dried fruit. The traditional recipe includes a variation called panforte nero with candied melon, sugar, and black pepper.

Torrone

Where To Eat It: Lombardy

Torrone, or nougat, is a Christmas dessert made from egg white, honey, sugar, and toasted nuts. It varies from hard and crunchy to soft and chewy, depending on the ingredients.

Bring It Home: If you are traveling to Italy during Christmas, panforte and torrone make great souvenirs or gifts to share with your family and friends.

Struffoli

Where To Eat Them: Southern Italy, specifically in Calabria and Campania

Struffoli, a sweet from Naples, is made by deep-fried dough balls and covered in honey. Known as cicirata in Calabria and cicerchiata in other regions, it’s a must-have on the Christmas table in southern Italy.

Christmas Cookies

top view of two white plates on kitty corners of frames with chocolate star cookies and ivy and christmas tree branches decorating the marble table.

Where To Eat Them: Everywhere. If you are in Florence, check out A Local’s 10 Favorite Bakeries In Florence, Italy and in Venice, go to 10 Amazing Bakeries In Venice, Italy.

There are so many cookies that Italians make specifically for Christmas, including cavalucci, ricciarelli and mostaccioli. You can read all about them in Italian Christmas Cookies.

Cannoli

Where To Eat It: Palermo

Cannoli, a Sicilian pastry, is a crisp fried dough cone filled with sweetened sheep’s milk ricotta, sometimes with candied fruit or chocolate chips. This typical Italian Christmas dessert is still very regional, which is why you are likely to see it at Christmas only in Sicily.

Learn More: Read all about Italian Christmas Desserts.

Traditional Christmas Drinks In Italy

Coffee in blue and white cup and saucer.

Christmas in Italy is food-centric – drinks included! Eating meals with family and friends during the holidays in Italy is usually paired with water and wine (white for seafood and red wine for red meat). There are, however, other drinks made specifically for the Christmas season to keep your eye out for.

Bicerin

Where To Eat It: Turin

Bicerin, a hot, sweet drink from Turin, blends chocolate, coffee, and cream. It’s typically served in tall glasses to showcase its layered colors. Bicerin is beloved all winter long in Italy (especially if you are on the mountains skiing) but it’s also a traditional Christmas food as well.

Cioccolata Calda

Where To Eat It: At Christmas markets such as at The Christmas Market In Montepulciano.

Hot chocolate is a winter essential in Italy, especially around the holidays. It’s extremely rich, made by melting dark chocolate with a bit of milk. Enjoy it as is or with whipped cream.

Digestif

Where To Eat It: Try regional specialties at trattorie in all 20 regions

To close any meal, Italians love a little night cap (even if it’s at lunch). This comes in many forms depending on the region but the most popular digestifs are:

limoncello – lemon liqueur
grappa – made from grape pomace
amaro – bitter liqueur
sambuca – anise based liqueur from Lazio and Campania
mirto – myrtle herbal liqueur from Sardinia

To read more about after dinner drinks, check out Italian Digestivo – Italy’s Top 5 Classic After-Dinner Drinks and don’t miss learning how to make caffè corretto if you love coffee!

Wine Lover? Be sure to read Where to Drink Wine in Italy and Where to Buy Wine in Italy!

Traditional Christmas Eve Dinner in Italy

The traditional Christmas Eve Dinner menu varies across the peninsula but no matter where you are, meals are structured the same way. Below you can find an example of what my Italian family’s Christmas Eve dinner menu looks like:

Appetizers