During the Christmas holidays the Colosseum observes the winter opening hours, remaining open every day from 9.30 to 16.30, with last admission at 15.30, except on Christmas day, December 25th, and January 1st 2023.
It is already possible to purchase the priority access ticket or book a guided tour.
For these Christmas holidays 2022, it will also be possible, for the first time, to visit the Colosseum at night, after closing time, with a guided tour with access also in the undergrounds and on the arena floor.
From 31 December 2022 to 8 January 2023, Piazza Navona, RomaOn the occasion of the Feast of the Befana in Rome, Piazza Navona will be enlivened by a rich calendar of street performances, with musicians, actors and jugglers who, on 31 December and 1, 6, 7 and 8 January, starting at 10 in the morning and until late afternoon, they will entertain adults and children with their performances.
There are many shows scheduled including acrobatic, juggling and street art shows, jazz and swing music from the 30s and 40s, the comic and acrobatic magic of the performer Eva Q (Federica Fattori) inspired by silent cinema films and Roman songs and Roman stornelli in the show "Ruma" by the Ponentino Trio.
At the Palazzo delle Esposizioni, on the other hand, the "Territorio" exhibition continues, in a photographic journey through the city and in particular of the Esquilino district and will be visible to the public until 8 January, from 12.00 to 18.00.
Charm of Lights
From 19 November to 8 January 2023, Orto Botanico di Roma, Largo Cristina di Svezia, 24For the first time in Italy a real Enchanted Christmas Garden with many light installations. Simultaneously with 18 other European capitals, the Rome Botanical Garden of Rome will host Incanto di Luci , the sensory exhibition of Light Art that will bring a luminous walk inside the botanical garden.
Crossing the threshold of a Door of Wonders you will enter a fantastic world between sparkling branches and cathedrals of light, to meet the tree fairies up to the big sleigh with Santa Claus.
Hours : 17.30 - 23.00, last admission at 21.00, from Wednesday to Sunday
Closed on 24th, 25th and 31st December
Ticket information
The historic market of Piazza Navona
From December 8th to January 6th, Piazza NavonaIt is the most important Christmas market in Rome which, from the first days of December until 6 January, concentrates in the splendid setting of Piazza Navona street artists, acrobats, jugglers, artisans and traders.
In these days traditional elements are mixed with the most modern ones and next to the stalls selling gastronomic specialties, Christmas decorations and various gift ideas, we find music, rides and colored lights, as well as various representations of the Befana which is the undisputed star of this market.
An event not to be missed for those who love the tradition and the magic of Christmas.
From November 19 to January 15 2023, Parco Chigi, Via dell'Uccelliera, 1, Ariccia
The magical attraction, now a real tradition of the Christmas holidays of the Capital and the Castelli Romani, will light up with fairy lights and magical atmospheres, ready to fascinate adults and children. lights, and at the entrance to the Park all the characters of the enchanted fairy tales will be exhibited with illuminated Forex panels, of varying sizes from two to seven meters.Moreover, each fairy tale will have a book that will tell the story, shaped in forex of two meters for two, which will help visitors to read up and follow the path.
Hours : 16:30-23:30 (Monday to Friday)
16:30-24:00 (Saturday and Sunday)
Prices : 10 € (Saturday and Sunday) 5 € (Monday to Friday)
Christmas in Ancient Rome
In ancient Rome, before the advent of Christianity and Christmas on December 25, the Saturnalia was celebrated in the period from December 17 to 23, a cycle of festivals dedicated to the God Saturn and the mythical Age of "Oro, a time when men lived without the need for laws, without hatred or wars among themselves, did not cultivate the land because plants grew spontaneously there and did not need to build houses because it was always spring.
During the Saturnalia, therefore, as happens today between Christmas and New Year, the cities were decorated with garlands, ribbons and torches and for seven days the population delighted in banquets, entertainment and exchanges of gifts. The slaves also became free men and ate at the same table as their masters who, in turn, served the diners.
Solara Garden The Christmas Village
From 1 October to 6 January 2023, Solara Garden Center, Via di Macchia Saponara, 247
We are talking about more than 8000 square meters of Christmas atmosphere: more than 15 rooms each with different characters and colors, a true paradise for adults and children. Entering we find ourselves in the house of gingerbread and the American sugar stick, from which we then move on to the street of roses, a consolidated theme of Christmas, which accompanies us inside the wooden hut that warms us with its enveloping tones. Immediately afterwards we catapult ourselves into an icy atmosphere made of polar bears and ice crystals. In a Christmas village you can certainly not miss the art of the crib. We have the Lemax village that attracts thousands of people every year, collectors and not, who want to try their hand at building a real miniature Christmas village.
Times : From 9.00 to 20.00 ( Every day )
Free
