Christmas and Markets on Lake Como

Como, the heart of the event

Como's Christmas program has a name and a closing date on which sources agree: the roster of events promoted by the City Council is titled "Como… che incanto!" ("Como… what enchantment!") — as presented both by the nataleacomo.it portal and the Municipality's website — and it runs through January 6, 2026, as reported by nataleacomo.it, comune.como.it and quicomo.it.

On the starting point, however, the picture is not unanimous: nataleacomo.it indicates November 22, 2025 as the launch date of the city's Christmas initiatives, while quicomo.it does not confirm this timing. A similar discrepancy concerns the artistic projections on the facades of the historic center, which according to the Council begin on November 29, while quicomo.it offers a different account.

The core of the offering is nonetheless shared by all the main sources. The markets with their wooden huts are set up in Piazza Perretta — as reported by nataleacomo.it, the Council, quicomo.it and siviaggia.it — featuring artisan products and specialties from the province of Como, Lombardy and other Italian regions, according to quicomo.it and siviaggia.it. Both outlets note the presence of Santa Claus for children's letters and photo opportunities. Siviaggia.it, the sole source on this detail, puts the number of huts at 22, spread between Piazza Perretta and Piazza San Fedele; quicomo.it, again alone, attributes the organization to the Consorzio Como Turistica.

An ice-skating rink is set up in Piazza Cavour, a detail confirmed by comune.como.it, quicomo.it and siviaggia.it; the latter point is complemented by quicomo.it, according to which the rink opens on November 23. In Piazza Grimoldi, three charity huts are set up dedicated to local associations, as reported by the Council and siviaggia.it.

Where the accounts diverge

Beyond the dates, two elements of the setup are described differently. As for the Christmas tree, comune.como.it and siviaggia.it place it in Piazza Duomo, while quicomo.it contradicts this. As for the carousel, the Council places it at Porta Torre, a location siviaggia.it does not confirm.

Shared by comune.como.it and quicomo.it, however, are both the list of buildings involved in the artistic projections — Porta Torre, Piazza San Fedele, the Teatro Sociale, the former Casa del Fascio, the Broletto and the Pinacoteca — and the presence of festive lights along the shopping streets of the city center. Quicomo.it adds, as the sole source, the statue of Alessandro Volta in Piazza Volta, the Museo Civico and the facade of the former Bank of Italy building, the latter serving as a backdrop to the Piazza Perretta market.

The calendar according to the City Council

Much of the detailed program is documented solely by the Como City Council's website and should therefore be read as coming from a single source. It states that the tree-lighting ceremony is scheduled for Saturday, November 29 at 6 p.m. in Piazza Duomo, with a show produced in collaboration with the Teatro Sociale di Como — a site-specific sensory artistic performance featuring music and dance. The following day, Sunday, November 30 at 9 a.m., the Teatro Sociale hosts "Como… Muoviti Muoviti – Christmas Edition," with ASLICO and local sports associations.

Also according to the Council, from December 1 to 24, every evening at 6 p.m., the Advent "Calend'Arie" take place from the Broletto balcony in Piazza Duomo, produced with ASLICO: December 1 features soprano Marianna Iencarelli and pianist Eric Foster performing the "Ave Maria" from Verdi's Otello. The charity huts in Piazza Grimoldi will host La casa della giovane, the Lachesi association and the La Stecca association on November 29 and 30, and the Como Red Cross, the Eco-Zoophile Guards and the Incroci association on December 1. From November 29, Christmas music plays over the city center's loudspeakers Monday through Friday from 5 to 9 p.m. and on weekends and holidays from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Among the other events listed by the Council: Santa Claus's arrival in Piazza Duomo on December 24 at 5 p.m.; from December 6 to January 6, on weekends, the free shows "A mille ce n'è… Le storie di Natale" ("A Thousand There Are… Christmas Tales") in the former wholesalers' pavilion of the covered market; the Spazio Natta, which thanks to a contribution from Acinque becomes "Spazio Natta-le," hosting the workshops "Dire, fare, raccontare… è Natale" ("Say, Do, Tell… It's Christmas") on December 6, 13 and 20 and January 5 from 4 to 5:30 p.m., and the course "Natale a maglia" ("Christmas Knitting") on December 7 and 14 from 4 to 7:30 p.m., with La casa della giovane and the La Stecca association. On the musical side, there's a Christmas jazz concert by the Carlo Uboldi Jazz Trio at Villa Erba Antica on Saturday, December 13 at 9 p.m., a concert by the 200.Com Choir under the Broletto Portico on Sunday, December 14 at 11 a.m., curated by the Teatro Sociale, and from December 6, on weekends, traveling shows with bagpipes by Celtic Knot, Magia Musk and the Filarmonica di Monte Olimpino. The program, the Council itself notes, is continually updated on the oggiacomo.it website and its associated social channels.

Regarding opening hours, nataleacomo.it is the only source to indicate that the market is open Fridays and Saturdays from 9:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. and Sunday through Thursday from 9:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., with reduced hours from 2:30 to 8 p.m. on December 25, 2025 and January 1, 2026, and possible changes due to weather conditions. As for transportation, the Council notes that from November 29 to January 6, on Saturdays and Sundays, ASF is boosting connections from the Tavernola parking lot and the Valmulini parking garage to the city center, and that the free ASF 4 XMAS shuttle runs a loop along the perimeter of the walls on Saturdays and Sundays from 3:05 to 7:40 p.m.

Siviaggia.it, finally, points to the Città dei Balocchi ("City of Toys"), which transforms the historic center into a Christmas village with the Magic Light Festival illuminating the Broletto, Porta Torre and the Duomo, and identifies the New Year's Eve fireworks as the program's climax: details reported by a single outlet.

Lecco

In Lecco, the sources converge on the setup of the event: the markets are held between Piazza XX Settembre and Piazza Cermenati with wooden huts, as reported by leccotourism.it and siviaggia.it, offering local crafts, traditional products, gift ideas, decorations and Christmas sweets.

The finer details, however, come from single sources. Leccotourism.it lists the period from November 27, 2025 to January 6, 2026, with hours from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekends and holidays. Siviaggia.it reports on the "Luci su Lecco" ("Lights on Lecco") project, with architectural projections on facades in the center from November 22 to January 7, along with an ice-skating rink and a Christmas tree in Piazza Cermenati, plus concerts such as the one for St. Nicholas's Day.

The other towns on the lake

The picture for the towns along the lakeshore is reconstructed by siviaggia.it, which remains the sole source for these events. In Cernobbio, "Il Sogno di Natale" ("The Christmas Dream") features artisan markets on weekends and holidays from 3 to 8 p.m., with jugglers and illuminated stilt-walkers, an ice rink, children's workshops, a Living Nativity and the arrival of motorcycle-riding Santas. In Bellagio, "Aspettando il Natale" ("Awaiting Christmas") includes a Christmas Village on the Lungolago Europa open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekends and holidays, while from December 22 to 31 "Bellagio in Festa" ("Bellagio Celebrates") offers choral concerts, tastings, traditional games and handcrafted nativity scenes. In Menaggio, "Menaggio On Ice" is underway, with an ice rink open daily next to the markets, and year-end celebrations in the town square on December 31. In Varenna, the Villa Cipressi Christmas Garden is open from November 1 to December 31, 2025, Thursday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., with concerts, workshops and guided tours on weekends; the town center and Villa Monastero host coordinated decorations and an artistic nativity scene open to visitors throughout December. The same outlet places the lakeside events between November 23 and December 31, 2025, and notes that Lake Como is Italy's third-largest lake.

Lake Como Christmas Light

Primacomo.it and in-lombardia.it agree in describing Lake Como Christmas Light as the initiative that illuminates monuments, villas and scenic spots around the lake, billed as "the most beautiful nativity scene in the world."

The two outlets, however, refer to different editions: primacomo.it discusses the second edition, running from November 29 to January 6, with a route covering more than 40 locations; in-lombardia.it places the event between December 15, 2018 and January 6, 2019, describing it as promoted by the Consorzio Como Turistica in partnership with 14 lakeside municipalities, Amici di Como, institutions and private sponsors, and also mentions the Como Magic Light Festival in its ninth edition.

Regarding the itineraries, primacomo.it cites Villa Carlotta and Villa del Balbianello in Tremezzina, the Civera bridge and the Orrido gorge in Nesso, the Church of San Giovanni in Bellagio, the Liberty-style ticket office in Cernobbio, the Church of Santa Tecla in Torno, and Piazza Mazzini in Bellagio, and notes evening cruises on weekends to admire the installations, in ideal continuity with the Città dei Balocchi's Magic Light Festival. In-lombardia.it, meanwhile, lists the towns along the route: from Cernobbio to Brienno, from Lenno to Menaggio, Varenna in the province of Lecco, Bellagio, Lezzeno, Nesso, Torno and Blevio.