10 Things to do in Pisa at Christmas

Pisa is one of the most visited destinations in Italy and Tuscany all year round, even though the beauty of its beaches and the proximity of other summer resorts such as Cinque Terre make it one of the most popular destinations during the summer season. However, in December the city receives a large number of visitors for the activities offered during the Christmas season.

Some of the best things to see and do to discover Pisa during the Christmas season include visiting the Christmas markets, enjoying the decorations on the Leaning Tower, attending the musical concerts in Piazza Carrara, having your picture taken with the giant tree in Piazza dei Miracoli and fulfilling the tradition of visiting the monumental Cemetery.

Pisa's Christmas season formally kicks off at the end of November, when the Christmas markets begin to unfold in various parts of the city, usually offering local handicrafts, children's toys, seasonal sweets and a wide range of gastronomic products.

The main markets in Pisa, which unlike those in other cities are not open all year round but are organised directly in November, are located in Borgo Stretto, which is the medieval quarter in the heart of the historic centre, in Largo San Zeno and in Corso Italia.

Also, while these markets are open, they are usually included in the itineraries of the best tours of Pisa and usually offer children's activities, so it is one of the best alternatives to consider if you plan to visit the city with children.

Remember also that flea markets are often included in Pisa food tours and that during Christmas time, the offers of these tours may be conditioned by the recipes of Christmas dishes and sweets.

If you visit Pisa, you can't leave off the list the Leaning Tower, which is the bell tower of the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta and is also the emblem of the city and one of the most photographed buildings in the world. During Christmas time, the tower displays the illuminated decorations that combine with the giant Christmas trees in the Piazza dei Miracoli, creating an ideal atmosphere to enjoy the eve.

The Leaning Tower maintains its daily activities during the day and, after sunset , the illumination turns on automatically, making it one of the best things to do in Pisa at night as well. Some of the nearby buildings, such as the Baptistery, are also decorated during Christmas, although none are as eye-catching as the famous bell tower.

Christmas also offers the perfect opportunity to take a different kind of picture of the tower, which has been leaning due to a miscalculation of the unstable ground since its construction began in 1173.

Note that in order to enjoy the Christmas decorations, you don't need to buy tickets, but just come to the Piazza dei Miracoli after sunset and enjoy the attractions.

Interesting details

• Price: Admission to the Leaning Tower of Pisa has an initial cost of approximately 25 euros per person.
• Hours: daily from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm.
• Location: Piazza del Duomo, Pisa.

The Piazza dei Miracoli is the tourist centre of Pisa and will be a must-see during your trip, as you will find the Leaning Tower, the Baptistery and the monumental Cemetery, but it is also one of the main sites of the city during Christmas, as some of the biggest Christmas trees in Tuscany are installed there, where you will be able to have your picture taken and enjoy the decorations.

These Christmas trees, which are distributed in the green spaces of the square, merge with the decorations of the Leaning Tower and the Baptistery, forming one of the favourite places for children.

In addition, under the trees you can find street performers, impromptu carol concerts and other children's activities, weather permitting. You won't be surprised to see the odd Father Christmas and even Rudolph the reindeer, for as in Cinque Terre, Pisa's Christmas celebrations are well developed.

Decorations on the buildings in Piazza dei Miracoli and the giant Christmas trees are usually put up from December onwards and continue until Epiphany, including a fireworks display on Christmas Eve which is also repeated in the early hours of New Year's Eve.

Piazza Carrara is one of Pisa's main squares and also the epicentre of the Christmas concerts that take place in the city in the run-up to Christmas Eve. These concerts, originally animated by self-organised local artists, are now one of the main attractions, with the participation of regional tenors and the Orchestra and Choir of Tuscany.

The Piazza Carrara concerts create one of the rare and unusual circumstances in which the focus of Pisa shifts away from the buildings of the Piazza dei Miracoli, as on December 24th many locals and tourists flock to the square to watch the musical performances, which include everything from gospel artists to classical tenors.

These performances, which are free to attend, last approximately 30 minutes to an hour each, making them an ideal option even if you are planning a short stay in the city. If that's your case, here are the best alternatives to get to know Pisa in 1 day.

The Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta, whose construction took almost 300 years, is one of the most beautiful and striking buildings in the city due to the cross between Byzantine, Islamic and European styles of its façade and interior. Only the sudden fame of the Leaning Tower of the bell tower prevented it from becoming the main attraction of Pisa, but during Christmas Eve it gains prominence with the traditional mass.

If you are planning to visit the city during Christmas and want to attend the mass in the Cathedral, just come and join in. Keep in mind that this religious celebration is very famous in Tuscany, so you may not be able to get a seat, although you will be able to follow the mass standing and even from outside, as the doors will remain open as long as the weather permits.

This mass is also an ideal excuse to see the beautiful interior of the Cathedral, which is notable for the frescoes and Renaissance artwork that decorate the Romanesque structure, and also to see the sculptures and coffered ceilings that combine with the decorations of the Baptistery, which is the largest baptismal enclosure in the world.

While there is a charge for tourist access to the Cathedral, during Christmas Eve mass you can enter free of charge.

Interesting details

• Price: Entrance to the Cathedral and Baptistery costs approximately 25 euros per person initially, although you can attend mass for free.
• Opening hours: Every day from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm for tourists, although religious services have their own opening hours.
• Location: Piazza del Duomo, Pisa.

Despite the winter weather, Pisa's best Christmas activities are outdoors. In addition to the flea markets in Borgo Stretto, the giant trees in Piazza dei Miracoli, the decorations on the Leaning Tower and the concerts in Piazza Carrara, there are also children's activities in Piazza dei Cavalieri, one of the most famous squares in the city.

In these activities, children can take pictures with Father Christmas, participate in workshops and activities, learn in a fun and interactive way about the history of the city and local characters such as Leonardo Fibonacci and Galileo Galilei, and attend street carol concerts.

These activities are available throughout December until Epiphany, so you can visit at any time, even if you are planning a short stay in the city. If that is your case, here is a list of things to do to discover Pisa in 2 days.

If you want to take part in a different spectacle during Christmas day and also get to know one of the best beaches in Pisa, which is one of the main attractions of the city, you can attend the fireworks display on the promenade of the Marina, in what is annually one of the most awaited events of the season for the magnificence of the pyrotechnics used.

The fireworks display, which starts promptly at midnight, illuminates the sky and the Tyrrhenian coast and turns the city's skyline into a feast of lights and colours. In addition, after the show, celebrations are organised around the Marina di Pisa, which attracts a large number of locals and tourists in a celebration that also extends to the beaches of Calambrone, Tirrenia and Bocca d'Arno.

The fireworks display is also an ideal excuse to see the city's beaches, which are often overshadowed by the beauty of the main buildings in Piazza dei Miracoli and the nearby cliffs of Cinque Terre.

One of the best ways to discover Pisa is through its Tuscan gastronomy and during Christmas and New Year you can combine the festivities with a dinner in one of the restaurants in the historic centre, especially in the Borgo Stretto area, which is home to the best gastronomic places in town, such as Branzo or La Ghiotteria.

If you want to keep with tradition, both Christmas and New Year, you can eat a lentil dish or opt for more traditional options such as pizza and pasta, Pisan sausages, Tuscan soup and race stew or the popular white beans with regional sausages.

Keep in mind that both Christmas and New Year's are part of one of the city's most visited seasons, so if you want to secure your place for dinner, I recommend you book in advance.

Italy is a land of tradition, and Pisa is no exception to the rule. For thousands of years it has maintained a local legend that after Christmas Eve it is a sign of good omen to visit the Monumental Cemetery, which is the least known of the buildings in the Piazza dei Miracoli, but no less interesting for that reason.

The Monumental Cemetery is a cemetery that houses more than 600 Graeco-Roman tombstones and sarcophagi and was not only one of the first formal necropolises in Pisa, but also the burial place of some of the most prominent personalities of its time. Tradition has it that if you visit the Cemetery, like other cemeteries in Italy, on the day after Christmas Eve, you will attract good health and ward off death.

You can visit the monumental Cemetery separately from the rest of the buildings in the Piazza dei Miracoli and you can also include a visit to the Baptistery in the tour, as one of the entrances offers the option of buying tickets for both attractions.

Details of interest

• Price: entrance to the Monumental Cemetery costs approximately 5 euros.
• Opening hours: daily from 9.00 am to 6.00 pm.
• Location: Piazza del Duomo, Pisa.

If you are planning to visit Pisa for Christmas and want to see an alternative site, you can visit the medieval flea market in Lucca, which is a nearby town that because of the resemblance of some of its main buildings and its size is considered Pisa's little sister. This picturesque market is organised under the motto of Natale nel Medioevo, or Christmas in the Middle Ages.

In this market you can visit the stalls, buy products and taste the gastronomy, as in any other market, but with the small detail that the one in Lucca does not contain modern stalls, but all the items you can access will be medieval, with food with recipes of their time and the limitations of the technology of the time for the elaboration of each object or dish.

The architecture of Lucca collaborates with the precept of the flea market, as it is a city built within the walls, behind a wall that has remained unchanged since the 16th century, given that unlike its neighbouring towns it has not had wars after the Renaissance nor has it been bombed during the Second World War.