Christmas in Amalfi

Amalfi at Christmas: the historic center becomes an open-air nativity scene

Every year, between the beginning of December and Epiphany, the Municipality of Amalfi promotes a widespread holiday program that involves the entire historic center and the hillside hamlets. Festive lights illuminate Piazza Duomo, the monumental staircase of the Cathedral of Saint Andrew, the Corso delle Repubbliche Marinare, and the covered alleys leading up to the Valle dei Mulini: a scenic display that turns the city into a vast open-air nativity scene, overlooking the Amalfi Coast sea.

This is not a single event, but a program that weaves together liturgy, music, crafts, and family activities, designed both for residents and for those choosing the Amalfi Coast in the low season, when the villages of the Province of Salerno, in Campania, reveal their most authentic side and the streets are not as crowded as in summer.

From the Immaculate Conception to Epiphany

The calendar follows the rhythm of the religious traditions of Campania. The opening coincides with the Feast of the Immaculate Conception on December 8th, when groups of zampognari (bagpipers) roam the center, and the day concludes with a band parade and a pontifical mass in the Cathedral. From that moment, the program unfolds over a month: markets, workshops, concerts, nativity scenes, and events for children follow one another until January 6th, the day when the Amalfi tradition features a procession of shepherds with bagpipes and the solemn closing of the nativity scene.

Markets, workshops, and the Christmas Factory

The Christmas Markets occupy Piazza Municipio and the Stradone with stalls featuring crafts and local products, while a second weekend of markets is hosted in the evocative Chiostro dei Cappuccini, above the town. For the little ones, the most anticipated moment is the workshop for handwritten letters on Amalfi paper, organized at the Paper Museum: a way to share with children the history of the handmade paper, one of the productive symbols of the ancient Maritime Republic.

• Christmas Markets in Piazza Municipio and the Chiostro dei Cappuccini
• The Christmas Factory at the Ancient Arsenal of the Republic, with Santa's House and family entertainment
• Letter-writing workshops on handmade paper at the Paper Museum
• Shows for children, elves, puppets, and a themed village set up for the holidays
• Itinerant folk groups and bagpipers through the streets of the center

Music: polyphonic choirs and InCanti d'Autore

The musical aspect of Christmas in Amalfi revolves around two iconic locations: the Cathedral of Saint Andrew, which hosts the polyphonic choir festival Amalfi Canta il Natale, reaching its thirty-first edition in 2025, and the Ancient Arsenal of the Republic, home to the InCanti d'Autore festival, dedicated to singer-songwriters and the folk music of Southern Italy. To these are added the Saint Lucy concert and the Grand New Year's Concert, all with free admission in recent editions.

The longest New Year's Eve in Italy

The highlight is the New Year's Eve in Piazza Duomo, which the municipal administration presents as "the longest New Year's Eve in Italy": from the afternoon of December 31st, DJ sets, folk groups, and live shows alternate across two squares; at midnight, fireworks over the sea illuminate the gulf, and the party continues until dawn. On January 1st, the festivities resume with a symphonic concert and traditional Amalfi folk dances.

Nativity scenes and traditions of the Amalfi Coast

Nativity scenes remain the devotional heart of the event: displays in churches, living nativity scenes in nearby villages, and, in some editions, the famous underwater nativity scene of the Emerald Grotto in Conca dei Marini, reachable by boat. The Amalfi program is part of the coordinated calendar of festivities of the Amalfi Coast, which also involves Atrani, Minori, Maiori, Ravello, Praiano, Positano, Cetara, and Vietri sul Mare: a single itinerary of lights along the coast, ideal for those who want to discover Campania in winter.

Why visit Amalfi in December

December is perhaps the month when Amalfi shows its best side: mild temperatures, lemons still on the trees, and restaurants and shops open without the summer queues. The holiday program of the Municipality, almost entirely free, allows you to experience the city as a community rather than a postcard, amidst the scent of zeppole, sfusato amalfitano (Amalfi lemons), and the sound of bagpipes echoing against the white walls of the alleys.