MERANER WEIHNACHT – MERANO CHRISTMAS MARKET (25/11/22 - 06/01/23)

Between December and January in Merano, the Passer Promenade, Piazza Terme and Piazza della Rena are filled with around 60 typical little wooden houses. In addition to the displays of the most original handicraft creations and excellent gastronomic specialties (don’t miss zelten–a dessert made with dried and candied fruit, typical of the Christmas tradition of Alto Adige–and strudel), a visit to the Merano market is a wonderful opportunity to discover more about this spa town that was a protagonist of the Belle Epoque. 

Check out these artisans:

Kunststube Lissy

For beautiful Christmas baubles made of blown glass and hand-painted.

Il Feudoarte 

For lamps, lanterns, bas-reliefs and other original creations in terracotta and engobbio (a covering and decoration technique for ceramics) pottery. The workshop, which you can also visit, is located at the foot of the Cansiglio Forest.

Thomas Peintner 

For South Tyrolean culinary specialties. For 25 years Thomas Peintner and his team have been pampering customers with culinary delights–including savory and sweet Tirtlen–at the Merano Christmas Market. You will find the little house centrally located next to the small children’s playground on the promenades.

Bernardi Wood Carvings

For handmade wood carvings and wooden nativity figures and Christmas decorations.

WEIHNACHTSMARKT BRIXEN – BRIXEN CHRISTMAS MARKET (25/11/22 - 06/01/23)

Brixen, also called Bressanone, is known as the City of Nativity Scenes thanks to its elaborate, yearly nativity scene with over 5,000 figures. These days, where once cattle were traded, now locals and visitors alike stroll among the colorful, little wooden houses and decorated trees set up in the Cathedral Square. In addition to visiting the market booths, a visit to the Nativity scene collection–one of Europe’s richest and most fascinating collections–in the nearby Bishop’s Palace (the so-called Hofburg) is a must.

From handcrafted candles to natural South Tyrolean cosmetics, the Christmas market exclusively offers products that were produced or finished primarily in South Tyrol. It’s a festive Christmas activity whether for a gift-buying mission or a cozy get-together with homemade mulled wine, variations of dumplings or sweet krapfen.

Check out these artisans:

Gafriller Johann

For Christmas wood carvings, wooden Christmas tree decorations, lathed bowls.

Alpidee

For minerals, clay houses and handicrafts made of glass, stone and minerals.

Klemens

For apple strudel, Christmas cookies, candy and bread.

CASTELROTTO CHRISTMAS MARKET (03/12/22 - 26/12/22)

The largest village on the Seiser Alm, Castelrotto features a pedestrian-friendly old town with numerous stores, beautiful houses, the third highest church tower in South Tyrol and a lively village life with lots of charm.

Stalls in Castelrotto’s historic village square feature local arts and crafts, such as hand-stitched sweaters, jackets and socks, wood carvings and nativity figurines, candles, crochet work and felt products, as well as typical gastronomic specialties from warm mulled wine to South Tyrolean zelten and gingerbread. Christmas music, lanterns and the glow of many candles add to the atmosphere.

CHRISTKINDLMARKT – BOLZANO’S CHRISTMAS MARKET (25/11/22 - 06/01/23)

Alto Adige’s capital Bolzano hosts a yearly Christmas market where Christmas carols are greeted with cheerful chatter and hundreds of string lights shine through the square. Through the scents of gingerbread and spiced wines, visitors stroll among the 40 artisan stalls in Piazza Walter. On Via Portico, the stands are divided in two: Italian speaking producers on one side and German speaking on the other.

Strolling through the little stalls and alleys, keep an eye out for the following:

Stadele by Mario Atz
For handmade Christmas ornaments including little wooden trinkets and baubles.

Hofskäserei Brunner
For dairy products ranging from fresh cheese to spiced cheeses like walnut, traminer or pepper cheese.

Plattner Bienenhof
For honey from the bee farm, candies, jams, syrups and fruit compotes. This stand offers a wonderful range of smaller-sized products to bring home as souvenirs.

Panifico Lemayr Bäckerei
For heavenly baked goods such as soft brioches, small strudel di mele (traditional apple pies), Bretzels and other local pastries. The homemade canederli dumplings are a must-try.

Rizzolli 1870
For mittens, felt and wool hats, and slippers. Rizzoli has all the cozy things needed to snuggle up at home. Otherwise, you can also find stuffed animals and handwoven Santa hats.

VIPITENO’S CHRISTMAS MARKET STERZING, UPPER VALLE ISARCO (25/11/22-06/01/23)

Once a silver mining center owned by wealthy German royalty, the borgo town of Vipiteno, located in the Isarco Valley, features colorful houses and a lively center.
In the main square of the old town, right under the majestic Torre delle Dodice, the Christmas Market is lit up with string lights.

Check out these artisans:

Chocopassion 

For all things chocolate, made by local Antonio Schenetti: covered dried fruits, creamy spreads, truffles (white, hazelnut, dark).

Vipitiamo
For a wonderful selection from the Walcher bakery including Christmas biscuits, almond covered fruit breads called “Suedtiroler Zelten” and chocolate pralines.

Maso Törggelehof
For chestnut specialities like caldarroste (roasted chestnuts).

WHERE TO EAT

St. Hubertus (San Cassiano) – Situated in the Dolomites, St. Hubertus, in the Rosa Alpina Hotel, offers the best of culinary mountain traditions with a seasonally changing menu. Whether you opt for a tasting menu or a la carte, the three-Michelin-starred chef Norbert Niederkofler will spoil your palate: from their warm bread placed in the middle of the table right after it’s been baked to the Ravioli di Montagna served with their broth in a tea can to the Orzotto in goat’s butter.

L’Fana (La Villa) – This low-lit steakhouse serves the highest quality meat specialities  “cotto sulle braci” (barbecued on open fire) in their traditionally decorated wooden parlor. Don’t be afraid to ask legendary host and owner Carmen for her recommendations.

alMa9 (Bolzano) – Just outside the historic center of Bolzano, below the hills of St. Magdalena, this modern eatery offers a menu where Israeli and South Tyrolean cuisines meet. Absolutely order the chicken liver dumplings.

Vögele (Bolzano) – An institution in the city that dates back to 1871. Today you can eat under the arcade walkway, in the romantic stube, in the more bourgeois first floor rooms, or in the modern one on the second. Wherever you sit, expect classic regional cuisine–crescents with spinach (Schlutzkrapfen), dumplings (Knödel), goulash (meat stew). The pasta dishes and desserts are also excellent!

Hotel La Perla (Corvara) – Head straight to the bar for a romantic and cozy ambience, fantastic cocktails and an unforgettable, homemade hot punch.

WHERE TO STAY: HOTEL SALTUS

Located at an altitude of 1,100 meters above sea level on the edge of a larch forest in San Genesio, Hotel Saltus is just eight minutes from Bolzano, the region’s capital, thanks to an easily-accessible cable car. Following the vision of “living nature, because we ourselves are nature,” the boutique hotel offers forest sauna natural treatments, an elegant top-floor pool with a terrace and spectacular 180-degree views of the surroundings, mental wellness yoga, progressive Jacobson relaxation, shinrin yoku (“forest bath” is the literal translation, a method of Japanese medicine comparable to aromatherapy) and more.

The rooms’ style is wabi-sabi (the Japanese philosophy based on the concept of impermanence and simplicity), implemented with unique building materials. Breakfast and dinner are served in the adjacent restaurant Tschögglbergerhof, a traditional inn, intended for the exclusive use of house guests.