Christmas in Basilicata

Christmas in Basilicata is lived in the villages: nativity scenes set up in lanes and caves, bonfires lit in the squares, home-made sweets and the Christmas Eve dinner. Here is what to expect and where to find the events.

Nativity scenes and illuminated villages

Matera and its Sassi are the most famous setting: during the festive season the caves and rock churches often become the backdrop for nativity scenes and performances. Many other villages organise living nativities, markets and lights: dates change every year and you will find them in the December and January calendars.

Winter bonfires and traditions

Between December and January many Lucanian villages light great bonfires in their squares, for the Immaculate Conception, Christmas Eve or Saint Anthony the Abbot in mid-January. Right after the holidays the Carnival season begins, with ancient masks such as those of Tricarico and Aliano.

Festive sweets and food

• Calzoncelli: fried sweet ravioli filled with chestnuts, chickpeas or chocolate
• Cartellate and struffoli, with honey or vincotto
• The meatless Christmas Eve dinner, often with salt cod and crunchy dried peppers (peperoni cruschi)

Where to go

For a Christmas weekend pick a village and pair it with a place to visit: the Sassi of Matera, the snowy Lucanian Dolomites, the Vulture and its wineries. The Events this weekend page and the village pages are updated as organisers publish their events.