This delicious desert is enjoyed all year round, but at Christmas time it has an extra special flavour! Panettone, born in Milano, has now become a delicious symbol of Christmas throughout Italy: it is served up on every table during the festive season, from the Immaculate Conception in December up to the Epiphany in January. 

Wherever you are in the city, it won't be difficult to find a pasticceria or panificio where you can taste and buy panettone to take home. It even features on some chef’s menus, or is served up in starred restaurants where it may become a special ingredient in a contemporary recipe.

If, however, you prefer to taste traditional artisan panettone, here you can download the list of the pasticcerie and panifici in Milano, Monza Brianza and Lodi that produce Panettone following the traditional artisan recipe.

Milano never disappoints when it comes to Christmas decorations, with the wonderful trees and illuminations that adorn the city streets and piazzas.

Christmas trees will once again be the focal points in many areas of the city thanks to Natale degli Alberi (Christmas of Trees) a creative project by Marco Balich.

From the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Games Tree in Piazza Duomo to the Dior Parfums tree under the illuminated vault of the Galleria, discover them all.

Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas in Milano without a splendid masterpiece exhibited for free at Palazzo Marino, a very popular event that makes its welcome return for 2024.

Every year, thousands of Milanese and visitors have the unique opportunity to admire a special art masterpiece on loan from another Italian city. It will be exhibited in the evocative Sala Alessi, the seat of Milano’s Municipality, and museum guides will be on hand to share their knowledge of the artwork. 

The work on display for Christmas 2024 from December 4th to January 12th, 2025 is the Madonna with Child and Saints Simon and Jude, known as 'The Madonna of St. Simon', by Federico Barocci.

The city’s shop windows are always stunningly decorated for Christmas, much to the to delight of all. They create a magical backdrop, perfect for strolling and gift shopping. A trip to the Christmas markets in Milano is a must!

The bustling Christmas market in Piazza Duomo, circling the perimeter of the cathedral from December 1st to January 6th, creates a special atmosphere and is very popular with Milanese and visitors. The typical wooden Christmas huts traditionally sell festive food, clothing and objects - perfect gifts for loved ones - while Santa Claus' grotto awaits all children to celebrate together with specially designed events and a full-size crib. 

Discover all the Christmas markets around the city.

Be enchanted by the magical atmosphere of the wintery villages for families and children, where you can meet Father Christmas and take a souvenir Santa Selfie! 

The Villaggio delle Meraviglie Winter Wonderland Village is a paradise for kids of all ages with Santa Claus, Mother Christmas, the elf helpers and the old Befana witch. From November 16th to January 6th, 2025, the Indro Montanelli Gardens will be transformed into an enchanted Christmas Forest with lots of attractions and events for everyone, including a huge skating rink.

Come back to discover the villages in the city.

Christmas without music is just not Christmas! December, the most magical month of the year, is coming to Milan so let’s all celebrate with concerts, songs and festive soundtracks to suit all tastes. A foray into the melodies of tradition, the perfect backdrop for such a magical time of year.

It is a tradition in Milano that the Duomo offers the city the Christmas Concert: with free admission, it gives everyone the chance to listen to classical music pieces played by the greatest orchestras, conducted by the best batons in the world.

The appointment is on Thursday, December 19th at 20:30, with the instrumental and vocal Ensemble laBarocca, conducted by Maestro Ruben Jais and choirmaster Jacopo Facchini, and the Cappella Musicale della Cattedrale, conducted by Maestro-Director Monsignor Massimo Palombella. 

The programme includes pieces from the Ambrosian sacred tradition, by Johann Sebastian Bach and Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina. 

Booking is compulsory from December 9th on the official website duomomilano.it.

Don't miss also the Christmas concert at the Teatro alla Scala: for the occasion, the La Scala theatre entrusts the baton to maestro Daniele Gatti.

Appointment on December, 21st 2024 at 20:00 with Petite Messe Solennelle by Gioacchino Rossini. Buy your ticket here.

To add an extra bit of sparkle to your Christmas holidays, visit one of the many exhibitions open during this festive season.

From Picasso to Munch, Dubuffet, Gae Aulenti to Tim Burton's labyrinth, simply choose your favourites and delve into beauty.

One of the most fun things to do at Christmas time is to meet up with friends or family to go ice skating. Enjoy the thrill of taking a fast lap of the rink, perhaps linking hands with your friends, wrapped up warm in padded layers to buffer your landing in case you slip!

Discover the most beautiful rinks in the city.

This Christmas, an event that the city has been waiting for over fifty years will take place: the birth of Grande Brera.

The Pinacoteca di Brera, one of the most important museums in the world, no longer has the space to exhibit the great art heritage with which it has been entrusted. It has long been a long-envisioned dream to unite the Pinacoteca with the nearby Palazzo Citterio, in Via Brera 12, to create a new multi-site arts complex. 

The long-awaited inauguration took place on December 7th, the feast of the city's patron saint, Sant'Ambrogio. Palazzo Citterio is open to the public from December 8th.

From that date onwards, artworks by Modigliani, Boccioni, Carrà and Morandi return to this 18th-century palazzo, once home to the art collectors Emilio and Maria Jesi. 
The important archaeological pieces of the Vitali collection are also exhibited here, alongside masterpieces such as the Fiumana, a preparatory work by Pellizza da Volpedo for the famous Quarto Stato (The Fourth Estate, now preserved at the GAM – Galleria d’Arte Moderna).

The two days of celebrations for Sant'Ambrogio, patron saint of the city, and for the Immaculate Conception, respectively on December 7th and 8th, mark the beginning of the Christmas festivities in Milano.

The city thrives on its traditions: don’t miss the Teatro alla Scala inaugural evening which, thanks to the Prima Diffusa project, is screened citywide, and is flanked by a programme of free events such asrs concerts, performances, exhibitions and meetings to enable everyone discover the opera that will be screened in over 30 iconic places in Milano.

An ancient tradition in this period is also the “Oh bej! Oh bej!” Christmas market around the Castello Sforzesco.

It is one of the most evocative times to visit Milano, when visitors can participate in events that no Milanese would ever want to miss.

Top of Milano’s Christmas list is a stroll through the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II to admire the festive illuminations that can be enjoyed from the end of November up until the Epiphany.

The Galleria’s glistening heart is the traditional illuminated tree placed beneath the shimmering mantle of lights of the central Octagon, and the shop window displays that, every year, never fail to reveal stunning surprises.

Start here than take a stroll in the most famous shopping streets in Milano.