Christmas, the Italian Way: Where the Real Luxury Is Being Invited In

If you’re among the lucky ones spending Christmas in Italy this year, forget the crowded hotel brunches and encourage more friendly, family-oriented “experiences.”

The true magic of an Italian Christmas happens elsewhere: behind a family door, around a flour-dusted kitchen table, with hands deep in dough and "nonna"-approved recipes passed on with a wink and a story.

In December 2025, as Italy slows down and cities glow with soft winter light, Cesarine—Italy’s oldest and most respected network of certified home cooks — opens those doors to travelers who value authenticity. This is luxury redefined: intimacy, authenticity, sustainability… and impeccable food.

Founded in Bologna in 2004 and now spanning the entire country, Cesarine connects travelers with passionate Italian home cooks who share regional recipes, rituals, and traditions usually reserved for family. Think: fresh pasta made by hand, broths simmered for hours, and Christmas desserts you’ll never find on a restaurant menu.

Welcome to Italy’s most meaningful hidden gem.

Venice: Gospel Choirs, Canals & a Penthouse Kitchen

In December, Venice feels like a dream you don’t want to wake up from. The canals shimmer in winter light, the air smells faintly of pastry and espresso, and gospel choirs fill St. Mark’s Square with joy—a beloved seasonal tradition that never fails to move even the most seasoned traveler.

Just steps away from the crowds, Cesarine invites you somewhere far more exclusive: a private penthouse overlooking the canals, where a local Cesarina hosts an elegant Christmas cooking class. You’ll learn to prepare fresh pasta and tiramisu, gesture by gesture, exactly as Venetians do at home.

This experience sells out every year—for good reason, book the experience HERE.

Piedmont: Winter Villas & the Art of Refined Comfort

Outside Turin, Piedmont reveals itself in soft winter elegance: historic villas, snow-dusted vineyards, and kitchens that hum with quiet expertise. With Cesarino Domenico, guests learn the secrets behind holiday flans, handmade tagliatelle, and festive Christmas pastries—refined, comforting, and perfectly suited to the season.

This is slow travel at its most accomplished.

Emilia-Romagna: Where Christmas Is Written in Pasta

If Italy has a culinary heart, it beats loudest in Emilia-Romagna.

• In the Bologna hills, Cesarina Silvia guides guests through cappelletto, cannelloni, and rich lamb or capon broth—dishes that define Christmas across generations. Book your cooking classes HERE.

• In Modena and Maranello, December is tortellini season. With Cesarina Meris, you master tortellini in brodo or alla panna, just as families have done for centuries.

Warning: you may never look at supermarket pasta the same way again.

Umbria: Quiet, Candlelight & Almond-Scented Cakes

For travelers craving serenity, Umbria offers medieval landscapes, hushed valleys, and kitchens steeped in tradition. In the Perugia countryside, Cesarina Marisa introduces croutons, cappelletti, and the almond-scented torciglione cake—a Christmas classic that tastes like family history.

This is Christmas without noise—and all the more luxurious for it.

Puglia: Sweets, Sunlight & Southern Warmth

In southern Italy, Christmas smells like honey, citrus, and warm dough.

• In Montescaglioso, Cesarina Filomena teaches cartellate and pettole, sweets rooted in ancient tradition.

• In Lecce and the Salento, baroque beauty meets festive markets as Cesarina Lucia reveals porceddhuzzi and classic Christmas desserts.

• Near Alberobello, in Martina Franca, whitewashed streets and trulli rooftops frame a winter fairytale. Cesarina Giovannella shares struffoli, purcidd, and savory or sweet pettole.

It’s joyful, generous, and irresistibly southern.

Campania & Sicily: Lights, Lava & Christmas Flavor

• On the Amalfi Coast, Salerno dazzles with its Luci d’Artista illuminations. Cesarina Silvia pairs a guided light tour with a hands-on Christmas cooking session—spectacle followed by substance.

• On the slopes of Mount Etna, in Pedara, Sicily becomes the warm winter refuge of dreams. With Cesarina Giampatrizia, guests prepare scacciata, cipolline catanesi, and the delicately comforting biancomangiare.

Volcanic soil, bold flavors, unforgettable dishes.

Not Traveling This Christmas? Italy Comes to You.

For those staying home, Cesarine also offers live online Christmas cooking classes, perfect as meaningful holiday gifts or for bringing Italy straight into your kitchen.

👉 Online classes: https://cesarine.com/en/pages/online-cooking-classes

Flour on your counter. Italy on your screen. Wine strongly encouraged.

Why Cesarine Feels Like the Future of Luxury Travel

Cesarine is more than a platform—it’s a Slow Food Community, an advocate of sustainable tourism, and a guardian of Italy’s culinary heritage. With over 30,000 guests in 2024, the United States remains its largest market, followed by Australia, the UK, Canada, and Northern Europe.

Behind the scenes, its advisory board includes leaders from Fratelli Branca, Venchi, CDP Venture Capital, and Bologna Business School—proof that authenticity and excellence can (and should) go hand in hand.

This Christmas, Skip the Restaurant. Join the Family.

Cesarine invites travelers to experience Christmas the Italian way:authentically, sustainably, deliciously—and with a seat at the table.

For more information, visit cesarine.com, watch the video, and follow @cesarine__ on Instagram.