A Private Christmas Stroll in Rome: Festive Fun in the Eternal City

Tour Overview

Experience the festive magic of Rome this Christmas with a special family-friendly tour through the Eternal City. Explore Rome’s most vibrant Christmas market on stunning Piazza Navona, and learn all about Italy's unique holiday traditions. Discover magnificent churches, shop along Via dei Coronari, and admire the city’s world famous Christmas lights. Our tour concludes in St. Peter’s Square, with its breathtaking nativity scene and soaring Christmas tree - an unforgettable finale to your festive adventure in Rome. Buon Natale!

Tour Description

Begin at St. Peter’s Square: Rome’s Most Magical Christmas Setting

Our festive tour begins in St. Peter’s Square, one of the most iconic places in all of Rome—especially at Christmas. As the spiritual heart of the Catholic world, the square becomes a breathtaking holiday scene each December, featuring a towering Christmas tree donated by a different community each year, beautifully illuminated beneath Michelangelo’s majestic dome.

Alongside the tree, we’ll admire Rome’s most important nativity scene. The tradition of recreating the humble Bethlehem birth began with St. Francis of Assisi in 1223, and the Vatican’s nativity remains one of the most anticipated holiday displays in the city. There’s no more magical place to begin our Christmas stroll.

Through the Borgo & the Baby Hatch at Santo Spirito

Leaving St. Peter’s Square, we’ll wander through the atmospheric streets of the Borgo, a historic district that grew in the Middle Ages to serve pilgrims headed for the Vatican. Today the area is full of lively cafés, charming restaurants, and fascinating historic corners.

One of its most curious sites is at the church of Santo Spirito, where we’ll see the medieval “baby hatch” or “foundlings’ wheel”—a device that once allowed mothers to leave newborns anonymously so they could be cared for rather than abandoned.

Ponte Sant’Angelo and Castel Sant’Angelo

Retracing the steps of centuries of pilgrims, our route takes us to Ponte Sant’Angelo, the spectacular “Bridge of Angels.” Built under Emperor Hadrian in 134 AD and later adorned with Bernini’s exquisite angels, it has long been the most important crossing for those heading to the Vatican.

We’ll explore the story of Castel Sant’Angelo, originally Hadrian’s mausoleum, later transformed into a fortress, prison, papal refuge, and Renaissance palace. Its imposing silhouette and layered history make it one of Rome’s most intriguing monuments.

Shopping on Historic Via dei Coronari

Continuing on, we arrive at Via dei Coronari, one of Rome’s most charming streets. Once a straight pilgrim route leading toward St. Peter’s, it was named after vendors who sold rosary beads (“corone di rosario”).

Today it’s lined with Renaissance palaces, artisan shops, antique boutiques, and sparkling holiday decorations—an ideal place for unique Christmas shopping with a distinctly Roman flair.

Renaissance Splendor: Santa Maria Dell’Anima & Santa Maria della Pace

Next, we step into two remarkable, often-overlooked churches just off the main path.

Santa Maria Dell’Anima, the historic church of Rome’s German community, is filled with Renaissance masterpieces, ornate décor, and striking stained glass.
Santa Maria della Pace houses Raphael’s extraordinary frescoes of the Sibyls—ancient prophetesses foretelling Christ’s birth. Few visitors ever get to see these up close, making this a true hidden gem.

End at Piazza Navona: Rome’s Favorite Christmas Market

Our Christmas tour concludes in the enchanting Piazza Navona, one of Rome’s most beautiful Baroque squares. Dominated by Bernini’s and Borromini’s masterpieces, the piazza transforms each December into the city’s most beloved Christmas market.

Here you’ll enjoy festive lights, stalls offering artisan gifts, roasted chestnuts, mulled wine, and the joyful whirl of its 19th-century carousel. The holiday celebrations culminate on January 6th, when La Befana, Italy’s kindly Christmas witch, arrives bearing sweets for the children.

It’s the perfect place to end our festive stroll—where the magic of Rome at Christmas shines brightest.