10 Things to do in Pisa at Christmas

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

Among the best things to see and do to discover Pisa during the Christmas season are 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 is formally inaugurated at the end of November, when the Christmas markets, usually offering local handicrafts, children's toys, seasonal sweets and a wide range of gastronomic products, begin to unfold in various parts of the city.

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

In addition, 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 the flea markets are usually included in the gastronomic tours of Pisa and that, during Christmas, 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, the tower displays the luminous decorations that combine with the giant Christmas trees in 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 lighting is automatically turned on, making it also one of the best things to do in Pisa during the night. 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.

In addition, Christmas offers the ideal opportunity to take a different photograph of the tower which has been leaning due to a miscalculation of the instability of the 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 Piazza dei Miracoli after sunset and enjoy the attractions.

Interesting details

• Price: the entrance ticket 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 center of Pisa and will be a must-see during your trip, as there 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 there are installed some of the largest Christmas trees in Tuscany, with which you can take pictures 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 favorite 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 Santa Claus and even Rudolph the reindeer, because just like in Cinque Terre, Christmas celebrations are very well developed in Pisa.

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

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

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

These performances, which are free admission, last approximately 30 minutes to 1 hour each, making it an ideal choice even if you are planning a short stay in the city. If that is 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 for the cross of Byzantine, Islamic and European styles of its facade and interior and only the sudden fame that took 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 participate. 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 the outside, as the doors will remain open as long as the weather permits.

This mass is also an ideal excuse for you 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 view the sculptures and coffered ceilings that combine with the decorations in the Baptistery, which is the largest baptismal enclosure in the world.

While the entrance to the Cathedral has a cost for tourist access, during the Christmas Eve mass you will be able to enter for free.

Details of interest

• Price: the entrance to the Cathedral and Baptistery has an initial cost of approximately 25 euros per person, although you can attend the mass for free.
• Hours: every day from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm for tourists, although religious services have their own schedule.
• Location: Piazza del Duomo, Pisa.

Despite the winter weather, the best Christmas activities in Pisa are outdoors. In addition to the flea markets in Borgo Stretto, the giant trees in Piazza dei Miracoli, the decorations of 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 Santa Claus, 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 them at any time, even if you are planning a short stay in the city. If that is your case, here is a list of activities you can do to discover Pisa in 2 days.

If you want to take part in a different show 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 show on the promenade of the Marina, in what is annually one of the most anticipated 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 Sea coast and turns the city skyline into a feast of lights and colors. In addition, in the area around the Marina of Pisa, after the show, celebrations are organized that bring together 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 show is also an ideal excuse to visit the city's beaches, which are often overshadowed by the beauty of the main buildings in Piazza dei Miracoli and the proximity of the Cinque Terre cliffs.

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 center, especially in the Borgo Stretto area, which is home to the best gastronomic places in the city, as is the case of Branzo or La Ghiotteria.

If you want to comply with tradition, both at Christmas and New Year, you can eat a plate of lentils or else 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 are part of one of the most visited seasons in the city, so if you want to ensure your place for dinner, I recommend that you book in advance.

Italy is a land that abounds in traditions and Pisa is no exception to the rule, so it maintains an age-old local legend according to which after Christmas Eve it is a sign of good omen to take a tour of the Monumental Cemetery, which is the least known of the buildings in Piazza dei Miracoli, but it is no less interesting to pay a visit.

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 holds 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 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: the entrance ticket for the Monumental Cemetery has an initial cost of approximately 5 euros.
• Hours: daily from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm.
• Location: Piazza del Duomo, Pisa.

If you are planning to visit Pisa during Christmas and want to see an alternative site, you can visit the medieval market of Lucca, which is a nearby town that for the resemblance of some of its main buildings and for its size is considered the younger sister of Pisa. This picturesque flea market is organized under the motto of Natale nel Medioevo, or Christmas during 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 Lucca's market does not contain current stalls, but all the elements that you can access will be medieval, with food with recipes of the time and the limitations of the technology of the time for the preparation 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 sixteenth century, since unlike its neighboring towns it has not had wars after the Renaissance nor has it been bombed during the Second World War.