Where to Find Christmas Markets in Rome

One of the best parts of coming to Europe during Christmastime is visiting each country's festive markets, trying the holiday food and buying presents. While Germany's markets are well-known, Italy's mercatini are just as fun to visit as a local or tourist. Where to find Christmas Markets in Rome depends on your location in the city, but I've found several in the historic center as well as in farther neighborhoods.

Piazza Navona: The Piazza Navona Christmas market is one of the oldest in Rome and maybe the most famous. This year the vendor and artisan stalls were shut down, but the piazza is still very beautiful, with a carousel and game stalls on one half. While it's not my favorite market in Rome, it's definitely worth a stop at least to see the famous piazza during the Christmas season.

EUR: EUR's market is one of the larger in the city and is very popular, especially among Italians. Many tourists never make it out to this neighborhood, but it's very interesting in comparison to the rest of the city. I've never made it to the larger of the EUR markets, but have been to a smaller one in the area which had plenty of hot food, children's activities, and Italian products.

Montesacro: In the northern neighborhood of Montesacro, there's a weekend Christmas market that covers an entire main road and shuts down all traffic for the day. It's one of the better that I've seen in the city and if you can catch the timing right you could finish all your Christmas shopping in one stop.

Piazza Mazzini: Of the markets listed, the one in Piazza Mazzini is my favorite. I could spend hours walking around the fountain because they fit so many stalls with different sellers at each one. There are imported items and products handmade in Italy. While it doesn't have as many food stalls with warm drinks or activities, there's fantastic shopping and a beautiful atmosphere.

I tried to get in all of my market visits before I left Rome for the holidays, but for anyone still in the city, many of the markets will be open up until Christmas day, with extended hours and more open stalls. If you're in Rome during the holiday season, a Christmas market is a great free activity to give you a break from museums and 4 hour long lunches and see a different side of the Italian culture.