by Nina Vaclavikova
Italy is easing into the Christmas season this weekend as the country approaches the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, the 8 December holiday that marks the unofficial start of the nation’s festive rush.
With the holiday falling on a Monday this year, schools and public offices across Italy closed early, stretching the celebration into a four-day weekend. By Saturday morning, Friuli Venezia Giulia was already in full holiday stride: families out for strolls, cafés spilling onto sidewalks, shopping streets buzzing with early-season energy.
In downtown Trieste, visitors wandered between wooden stalls of the Christmas market, warming their hands on cups of vin brûlé. Children pulled parents toward holiday lights in Piazza della Borsa, while locals lingered along the waterfront, savoring the rare luxury of a slow, sun-washed December afternoon. “You can feel the season starting,” one passerby said. “This weekend sets the tone.”
Known in Italy as L’Immacolata, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception is both a religious observance and a cultural milestone. For many families, it marks the moment Christmas trees go up, lights flicker on, and the first real wave of gift-shopping begins.
Across Friuli Venezia Giulia, the mood this weekend reflects that shift. As evening settled over Trieste on Saturday, the narrow streets of Cavana glowed beneath fresh strands of lights, and restaurants filled with families extending their long weekend. The holiday itself may still be a day away, but for many in the region, the Christmas season has already begun.
