New Year's Eve in Italy: what to do on the last day of the year in Italy in 2024

Italians are very fond of holidays, especially those where luck and prosperity can be wished for. Many regional traditions are handed down, but there are many rituals that all Italians have in common and you can try to fully enjoy the experience. One of the best-known customs is the classic dinner with all the typical dishes that change from city to city throughout the boot but some musts never vary such as cotechino with lentils as a sign of good luck for the new year. In addition, to light up the night at midnight on December 31st, Italians love to use many fireworks. At the stroke of midnight the master craftsmen of the sector delight the cities with fireworks, which you can observe in almost all Italian cities. One of the most popular traditions especially among young people and couples, who celebrate New Year's Eve in Italy, is to wear red underwear as a symbol of luck and prosperity.

Our itinerary up and down Italy starts from Calabria, which is preparing in grand style to celebrate New Year's Eve, with Crotone which is ready to light up for "L'anno che verrà" (The year to come), the famous Rai 1 broadcast conducted directed by Amadeus from Piazza Pitagora.

The event will be free and to be followed by dancing in the square or from the giant screens installed in other squares of the city. For now, the lineup of national and international guests is yet to be discovered but it is now known that this concert is one of the main events for those who want to spend their New Year's Eve in Italy.

Always in Calabria, Corigliano-Rossano will also host a very important free concert by Max Pezzali.

For the last day of the year, you might be tempted to take a trip to the mountains to breathe some clean air and get to know one of the most famous cities in Italy. For this reason, the advice is to visit Trento, the city that rises in the valley of the Adige river, on New Year's Eve. Every year, on December 31st, various events and concerts are organized in Trento with artists of all kinds with the two main squares that dominate, Piazza Duomo and Piazza Fiera.

As far as mountain lovers are concerned, from the centre of Trento, you can easily reach the mountain ski resorts such as the Paganella plateau.
As New Year's Eve approaches, you could take advantage of the fantastic ticket that Visit Italy offers its readers to explore the evocative medieval castle of Avio, a marvelous treasure chest of artistic masterpieces.

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The Marches are one of the Italian regions with the most monuments and cultural attractions with squares, strongholds and medieval villages that reach from the Apennines to the Adriatic Sea. If you intend to spend your New Year's Eve in Italy, this region offers you some of the best cultural but also fun-filled initiatives.

In Ancona, as in the other cities featured in this guide, there will be a concert with local musicians and DJ sets in Piazza Della Repubblica with the Teatro Delle Muse dressed up for the party. Even visiting Fano and Pesaro, an enchanting city built during the ancient Roman Empire, there will be concerts and exhibitions in the square to wait for midnight in good company.

Along the Adriatic coast, you can spend New Year's Eve in Abruzzo in Pescara, one of the main destinations for many visitors in summer but also in winter. There are many attractions that the city offers for the Christmas holidays and especially the last day of the year.

Also, in this case, the New Year's concert in Piazza Della Rinascita, known to most as Piazza Salotto, is not to be missed. The whole city dresses up, especially the seafront and the historic centre with decorations and lights of all kinds that illuminate the Abruzzo night. Among the many artists present in the concert, exponents of the national and international jet set such as The Pooh and Umberto Smaila.

Molise is small but offers one of the most popular New Year's in all of southern Italy, namely New Year's Eve in the snow. Molise is experienced on the snow, thanks to its geographical position, with its suggestive peaks it becomes an unmissable destination for a holiday on the snow. There are places like Campitello Matese and Capracotta which are among the most renowned for their ski resorts. As for the last days of the year, however, Campobasso, Samnite regional capital, becomes romantic, welcoming, and suggestive. On 31 December in Piazzetta Palombo a concert is held to sing Molise songs: an initiative that has been going on for 30 years and which is based on the famous maitunate, played with the bufù, a typical Molise instrument.

The other place where the end-of-year party is celebrated is the covered market of Campobasso with various musical artists performing in the square.

In Emilia-Romagna, there is a great desire to celebrate New Year's Eve, so much so that parties and attractions are being organized in all the cities. One of the focal points of the fun is undoubtedly the Romagna Riviera with Rimini as a guide. In fact, in addition to offering free museums all day long, the Adriatic city will host as many as 10 parties in some areas of the city: from Piazza Cavour to the city's museums and theatres.

This is New Year's Eve of Romagna, the longest worldwide, with over 150 events scattered throughout the month of December which will culminate in the fire of the Malatesta castle, a play of coloured lights, smoke and cascades of fire, with scenic effects at the stroke of midnight.

You could take advantage of the exclusive benefits reserved for Rimini Art Card holders to visit its prestigious museums with amazing discounts.

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One of the Italian cities to spend the New Year in Italy is certainly the capital of Liguria, Genoa. This year it hosts a completely spectacular and entertaining event, in fact in Piazza de Ferrari, one of the most important squares in Genoa. This year the square will host Mediaset's New Year's Eve with the program directed by Federica Panicucci. It will be the biggest and most followed New Year's Eve in Italy with national and international guests who will accompany you while waiting for midnight on December 31st.

Another evocative place is the Lanterna, a symbol of the city of Genoa, which at midnight, on the occasion of its 890th anniversary, will offer a play of lights visible from the Port and other points of the city.

By availing yourself of the Genova City Pass, you can benefit from exclusive concessions, including free admission to the city's main attractions and access to public transport.

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On the easternmost front of Italy, in Friuli-Venezia Giulia, you can celebrate your New Year's Eve in Trieste. Like all the other cities mentioned in this guide, Trieste celebrates its New Year's Eve in Piazza Unita d'Italia, with many Christmas trees and a gigantic space overlooked by some of the architectural masterpieces of the entire city. A beautiful square that is reflected on the Adriatic Sea.

The fireworks are expected from many events dedicated to music, with famous singers and artists throughout Italy. On January 1st, the city gathers to see the first sunrise, waiting for the Diving Competition at the Barcola pier.

Let yourself be allured by the magnetic appeal of elegant Trieste, a charming Middle-European city, exploring its monuments, extraordinary masterpieces, and iconic landscapes with the support of a cutting-edge audio guide app.

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New Year's Eve in Venice is an atypical event compared to those you can visit in Italy, thanks to the very particularity of the city. New Year's Eve in Italy has always been a holiday opportunity and doing it to discover one of the most beautiful cities in the world, like Venice, is a unique and evocative experience.

For travelers who want to explore Venice, a city full of attractions and events for the New Year, a must is a big party in Piazza San Marco, where thousands of people wait for midnight to toast and wish each other well, followed by fireworks that light up the entire lagoon. Furthermore, beyond New Year's Eve in the square, there are many New Year's Eve parties organized in Venice, where all the historic buildings in the lagoon dress up for the party. There are many alternatives such as a gondola ride or a trip on a vaporetto through the festively lit canals, or a concert in one of the historic Venetian theatres.

Remaining in the Veneto region, Padua also has a particular way of celebrating New Year's Eve with its Giottesque New Year's Eve.

For New Year's Eve in Piedmont, Turin, a very fascinating and aristocratic city, dresses up and offers many opportunities to have fun in the night between December 31st and January 1st. One of the first places is undoubtedly the largest square in Europe without monuments inside, Piazza Vittorio, waiting for the fireworks on the Basilica of Mary Help of Christians, at the foot of the Cappuccini hill. If, on the other hand, you want to spend a New Year's Eve in the name of nightlife and fun, you can spend the night in San Salvario, known for its clubs and bars.

Another event you can't miss is the concert in Piazza Castello with local and national artists, which hasn't happened for 6 years. Furthermore, in addition to New Year's Eve on the street, Turin offers various initiatives that may interest you such as concerts, shows or a relaxing New Year's Eve at the spa.

By purchasing the Torino + Piemonte Card, you can explore the marvelous sights and attractions nestled in this elegant city.

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The stage of the proposed destinations starts from the southernmost region of Italy: Sicily. It is an unusual destination for New Year's Eve but, in the absence of the scorching heat, you can visit and lose yourself among its wonderful monuments such as the historic centres of even older cities such as Catania or the countless archaeological areas such as Syracuse. Catania is a popular destination, as it is also one of the easiest to reach with the airport just a stone's throw away and above all for its baroque historic centre and the spectacle with the snow-covered Mount Etna towering over the city.

Even Sardinia, usually a summer destination, becomes beautiful for the New Year. Among the most popular destinations, there is undoubtedly the Costa Smeralda with its bays and most of the places that organize exclusive dinners, but you can't miss the sunrise on the beautiful Olbia seafront either.

If on December 31st you decide to spend some time in the classic atmosphere of hospitality typical of the South Tyrolean capital, Bolzano offers various activities to await the evening celebrations of Saint Silvestro.

In addition to a little shopping in the famous Via dei Portici, the most famous street full of shops and shops in the whole city, you can pay a visit to one of the many museums in this area, among which the most important is the museum provincial archaeological, a day of sport between snow-covered slopes, ski trails and cable cars. One of the best-known events is the Boclassic, the international race that takes place on the last day of the year with a route that crosses the historic centre of Bolzano.

The city of stones, Matera, reserves some surprises for those who decide to spend their New Year's Eve here. In Italy, there are many cultural locations, but Matera is very famous all over the world for its attractions and in particular during the Christmas period, thanks to the living nativity scene set up in the city.

The scenario of the famous stones that you will find yourself in Matera is that of a place totally out of time, which therefore represents an alternative way to celebrate the New Year in Italy and that you can hardly find elsewhere. Also in Matera, you can have the famous New Year's Eve dinner with Italian and local dishes.

Florence is one of the most refined and culturally attractive destinations to spend New Year's Eve in Italy. There are many events scattered throughout the city, which make it a sought-after destination, so much so that reservations are immediately sold out for these dates. Among the many attractions that you can visit on your Tuscan New Year's Day, one of those that you absolutely cannot avoid experiencing is the party that is created in Piazza Della Signoria, where between an aperitif and a greeting between friends you can experience and experience the beauty of Florence Renaissance. In addition to this, one of the places to spend midnight in Florence is certainly Piazzale Michelangelo. The glimpse of the city is truly incredible and at the stroke of midnight, the lights and happiness of the new year in Italy will make it truly breathtaking.

Rome is the capital of Italy and even when it comes to holidays it becomes one of the favourite destinations for those who choose to spend the New Year in Italy. If you want to spend New Year's Eve in Rome you can do it at one of the most usual events for all Romans and not only: the Imperial Forums, where every year artists of all kinds approach and attend the shows in an incredible atmosphere among the ruins of the ancient Roman empire.

Another beautiful location in Rome is to climb the Gianicolo hill or the Pincio where both at sunset and dawn on New Year's Eve you can enjoy a beautiful view of the Eternal City. In addition, if you are in Rome for a few days, like all year even on the last day of the year, Rome offers many attractions starting from the Colosseum to the Trevi Fountain. The culinary traditions of the Roman New Year are also famous and highly sought after by those who will spend the last of the year in Rome from savoury pies to cannelloni, gnocchi and fresh pasta up to pangiallo and all the other typical desserts of the Italian and Roman Christmas tradition.

If you want to spend a New Year's Eve in Italy in the classic Christmas atmosphere, Courmayeur is the preferred destination for Aosta Valley feast days. It is one of the most famous places in the Aosta Valley and Italy, not only on New Year's Eve. Enclosed in the heart of the Alps and surrounded by the highest mountain in Europe and Italy, Mont Blanc, Courmayeur is a popular destination for those who want to celebrate the New Year in Italy in the name of sport and fun.

Courmayeur is the most glamorous and elite ski destination in Italy with exclusive parties, starred restaurants and ultra-luxury huts.

On the Adriatic side, there is one of the cities where the Salento New Year's Eve is very much felt: Otranto. Otranto offers a constellation of cultural, artistic and musical events through a twenty-year event. Among all the events that will be held during this festival, we must add the great concert in the square on New Year's Day with many artists from all over Italy.

If you are in Otranto after the concert, one of the best moments is to reach Punta Palascia after midnight: the easternmost point of Italy to enjoy the New Year's dawn in Italy before everyone else.

Dinners, exclusive parties, or large parties in the square, there are many ideas that the city of Milan offers to spend a magical New Year's Eve. The most European and modern city in Italy contains all these possibilities to adapt to every type of need on the part of those who choose to spend the New Year in Italy. If you are in Milan, you are spoiled for the choice to wait for midnight with friends.

In addition to the classic traditional dinners in every corner of the centre and the halls of the major luxury hotels in the city, there is the great concert in Piazza Duomo that every year attracts thousands of tourists and enthusiasts every year, who attend the show offered by artists of the national and international calibre or a series of exclusive parties under the banner of the iconic Milanese jet set.

We point out that the traditional concert in Piazza Duomo will not take place this year.

The most iconic New Year's Eve in Italy is the one you can spend in Naples. The last day of the year is awaited with so much trepidation and spasmodic anticipation. New Year's Eve in Naples is a way to enter the new year noisily and festively in the name of auspicious rites and endless dinners with all the dishes prepared as tradition dictates.

From the famous capitone, the European eel to fried cod, to cotechino with lentils, the dishes of the Neapolitan culinary tradition are prepared both for goodness and for good wishes. For some years the New Year in Naples has been celebrated in the streets with Piazza del Plebiscito and the Lungomare which are the nerve centre of this festival. In fact, in the largest square of Naples, the famous New Year's show will be held with local and national artists of all kinds, not only musicians and singers but also many actors, comedians, and stars of the Italian stage. 

One of the traditions of New Year's Eve of Campania, above all in Naples, is undoubtedly the fireworks, which light up the night throughout the city. One of the most beautiful places is to witness the fireworks in Castel dell Ovo at the stroke of midnight.

Undertake an exciting and engaging guided tour to admire the treasures of the fascinating Archaeological Park of ancient Neapolis with a Visit Italy ticket.

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