At Christmas, tourism seeks authenticity and wonder In pole position: historic towns and villages
The relationship between Christmas and travel is an ancient one, but today it becomes even closer. This cycle of festivities is a time of intense collective expression: it is the time of the 'marvellous', both in its natural and its cultural and spiritual dimensions, thanks also to the peculiar combination of the sacred and the profane.
For this reason, the economic fabric is also transformed into a lively ecosystem of proposals and strategies to intercept desires, trends and new opportunities. As early as November, towns and villages dress up for the festival. Everything is geared towards building a welcoming and evocative atmosphere that transforms urban spaces and landscapes into major tourist attractions that enhance places by combining territorial peculiarities with the offer of emotionally and cognitively engaging experiences.
Christmas tourism, therefore, is an 'ecosystem', not a single product, in which festivals, concerts, exhibitions, exhibitions of lights, artistic nativity scenes, food and wine, and immersive installations act as an activator of flows within an articulated identity narrative capable of generating, precisely, wonder.
After the years of uncertainty linked to the pandemic, Christmas tourism in Italy has returned to growth. Among the winning examples are Umbria's villages and cities of art in a context of structural growth in the region that could make 2025 the best year ever. In the first nine months more than 6.3 million presences and 2.34 million arrivals were recorded, with increases respectively of +10% and +8.7% compared to 2024 and very wide differentials on 2019.
This trend can be interpreted in the light of the adaptability of the territorial system, an increasingly diversified and dynamic model. Umbrian tourism, in fact, develops along multiple lines, in which culture, nature, spirituality and sociality act in synergy. Cities of art and festivals continue to be strong attractions, while outdoor tourism has become increasingly important in travel preferences. Experiences linked to local life are configured as an added value, responding to the emerging demand for more immersive and personalised forms of tourism.
The Region's new Autumn-Winter 2025/2026 tourism campaign aims to position Umbria as an authentic and identity-based tourist destination with a strong focus on the Christmas period with specific resources for municipalities and a widespread programme of events.
Spanning through the many proposals, one cannot fail to mention the records of Trasimeno and Gubbio: on the largest lake in central Italy it will be possible to enjoy the world's largest floating and luminous installation, while in the medieval city of Ceri a spectacular ceremony will light up the Christmas Tree that has been in the Guinness Book of Records since 1991. Further south, in the Terni basin, the Stella di Miranda, an industrial monument consisting of 80 luminous bodies on the north-west slope of Monte Miranda, has been shining for 35 years. Not far away, at the entrance to the Upper Belvedere of the Marmore Falls, is the Hydra Multimedia Museum: an immersive, technological and sensorial space for an experience of history, science and landscape.
The second edition of the deMusicAssisi Winter Edition confirms as the symbolic and concrete epicentre of cultural and religious tourism the city that in 2026 will host the celebrations for the Eighth Centenary of the death of Saint Francis. Great jazz will be the catalyst for everything that happens in Orvieto thanks to Umbria Jazz Winter (30 December - 3 January) now in its 32nd edition: 80 events, 5 stages, 23 bands, about 150 musicians. Finally, Providence - Perugia Gospel Week will resound in the provincial capital from 14 to 23 December with a message of light, hope and closeness. Tourism in the Perugia area is now configured as a multi-level system: from cultural tourism to major events of international relevance, including the City of Chocolate, the new experiential museum dedicated to cocoa and chocolate.
For all this and more, at Christmas, wonder awaits you in Umbria. In every sense. Find out more at: www.umbriatourism.it
