New Year’s Eve
New years eve in Italy is also the Festa di San Silvestro – the Feast of Saint Sylvester who was Pope fro, 314 until 335. Traditionally, the day is celebrated with a dinner, Il Cenone, that features lentils and port, the Pork is represents how rich life is and the lentils symbolise money and eating them on New Years Eve is for a prosperous New Year.
New Year’s Tips for Tourists (this is for all cities)
Although New Years isn’t a big holiday, it is still a national holiday. This means that some attractions, shops and restaurants will be closed and there will be limited transportation.
Restaurants: Restaurants will be open, usually there will be a set menu, costing between 80-250€ per person. It is advised to book in advance!
Taxis and transport: There will be limited transport in the city and the traffic will be crazy, it will be best to book any transport in advance or to avoid relying on transport altogether as Taxis will be busy and you will be mainly paying to sit in traffic.
Rome
Rome is a great place to visit for New Year’s. There are musical performances, firework displays, street parties, bands and concerts. Head to Circus Maximus for a concert, it is free to attend.
Piazza Popolo is a great place for a big street party, Fireworks, performances and music attract large crowds. (If you are planning on staying in, you might wish to consider booking in to hotels that are a little further out of the centre as there will be loud fireworks and music until the small hours of the morning.)
Head up to Janiculum (Terrazza del Gianicolo) where you can get an amazing view of the fireworks over Rome.
Florence
Florence has a wonderful atmosphere at New Year’s Eve. Enjoy a evening meal at one of the restaurants before enjoying the outdoor music concerts or experiencing music gigs in bars and pubs. It is a great city for music lovers.
There is a big concert in Piazzale Michelangelo for free. There is live music and local bands with stunning views across the city.
To see the fireworks, most people will head towards the square in front of the Duomo (Ponte Vecchio bridge will be packed), but anyway along the Arno River will give a great vantage point to watch the fireworks.
Venice
Venice creates a beautiful back drop to ring in the new year. Most people will bring in the new year in Piazza San Marco, there are many people who will visit in the New Year. The San Marco Basin is where the fireworks display happens.
Piazza San Marco has entertainment, with local bands, comedians and television personality to bring in the new year.
There are many clubs, restaurants and bars they remain open to the public late into the night and some offer shows and music.
Transport out of Venice: With many visitors travelling to Venice island, the city has scheduled special late-night trips connecting Venice to Mestre and some of the other cities in the district and Veneto.
Milan
Ring in the New Year in Milan at the Piazza Duomo. There is music and dancing and the concert is free. There will be street performances, comedy and special guests. Some of the restaurants in Milan will service the classic Cenone, a multiple course meal.
Milan has a traditional New Year’s Eve firework display at Piazza Castello over the Castello Sforzesco.
Some hotels will have their own parties and celebrations, so check out if your hotel is doing something for New Years.
Transport: The city metro runs until 1.30am and the buses until 2am. Like all cities, the traffic will be a little chaotic, to say the least.
Naples
The celebrations start with Concertone di Capodanno, the New Year’s Eve big concert. It is held in the amazing setting of Piazza del Plebiscito, where you can see several artists and be entertained by live music, processions and the mid night fireworks over the Gulf. Naples is well known for its amazing firework displays and will bring in the New Year in an amazing way, head to the waterfront, by the Castel dell’Ovo. There are usually several stages set up to entertain you with live music of different kinds.
You can also make your way up to San Martino or Posillipo hill to spend midnight watching the fireworks light up the gulf and the city. The clubs will be open with music and also some museums and theatres will organise their own parties and events for New Year.
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