Admiring age-old nativity scenes in a medieval village, refreshing yourself with some mulled wine and gingerbread in a colourful local market, visiting Father Christmas and his elves in his log cabin, and imagining you are living a dream as you listen to an orchestra playing ice instruments in a mountain igloo. 

However you imagine Christmas, a season that is sure to warm your heart and revert you to childhood more than any other, in Lombardy you can easily turn your imagination into reality.  
Filled with an air of magic more potent than during the rest of the year, our region is ready to amaze you with the sheer variety of its Christmas events, including cultural events, shopping, good food, moments of relaxation and all kinds of charm. 
What does Christmas in Lombardy have in store for us this year? 

TOY TOWN IN CERNOBBIO (CO)
Illuminations, market stalls, light shows, an ice rink, a carousel, workshops and activities for children. These are the main ingredients of the eagerly awaited Città dei Balocchi, the City of Toys, an event which, after having enlivened Como for over three decades, will this year be held in Cernobbio from 7 December 2022 to 8 January 2023. The number one place to experience the joyful and serene atmosphere of a Christmas on Lake Garda, this Lombard town offers a wealth of culture, fun, emotions, entertainment, art, food and wine, fantastic experiences and a feeling of togetherness. 
While continuing in the footsteps of past editions, this year’s Città dei Balocchi will also bring something new and original to Residence il Borgo, Riva, Parco di Villa, Villa Bernasconi and the hamlets of Piazza S. Stefano and Rovenna. 

Highlights of the event will include: 
●    Ice skating rink 

One of the best-loved attractions for both young and old alike, the ice skating rink will open its doors from 7 December 2022 to 8 January 2023 and can be found in theParco di Villa Erba. Open for the full duration of Città dei Balocchi, ice skating will provide a fun and physically challenging activity and a chance to enjoy the thrill of a few laps around the rink after wandering among the stalls of the Christmas markets or being dazzled by the lights that will illuminate the town. 

●    Magic Light Festival 2022
Parco di Villa Erba Park will be transformed into a park of filled with fun surprises packed with Christmas light installations and thousands of fairy-tale characters. Here, as you enter the magical atmosphere of an enchanted forest, visitors will be captivated by a group of talking trees and a chorus of singing trees that will come to life and transform themselves into narrators and singers. While Villa Erba will be illuminated both across the park and the lake, a video mapping display will give the tower voice, as it tells the story of a character who once lived and dreamed here. 

THE SUNKEN NATIVITY IN LAVENO MOMBELLO (VA)
A unique work installed in the waters of Lake Maggiore, this year the Sunken Nativity in Laveno Mombello will be on display from 26 November 2022 to 14 January 2023 on the lakeside promenade of the same name thanks to the hard work and dedication of the Amici del Presepe Sommerso (Friends of the Sunken Nativity), the group of volunteers who have been committed to keeping the tradition alive over the year. 
One of the most eagerly-anticipated Christmas attractions in Lombardy, the event sees the figures of the Nativity on display underwater at a depth of 3 metres. Made visible thanks to the skilful use of underwater spotlights, the Nativity scene can be admired by the many visitors that crowd the quay in the town's main square each year. More than 42 life-size sculptures made from blocks of Vicenza stone make up the scene, which, due to their heavy weight, require no less than five platforms to be placed on the lake bed by divers in order to display them properly. 
Now in its 43rd year, the Sunken Nativity of Laveno includes an additional programme of live music, illuminations and a variety of entertainment. 
Highlights include: 
At 17:00 on Saturday 17 December in the Chiesa Vecchia, a Christmas Concert is scheduled with the Piccoli Cori Valcuvia children’s choir conducted by Margherita Gianola. 
From 15:00 onwards on Sunday 18 December, Father Christmas will welcome young and old to his log cabin, accompanied by his elves and friendly stilt-walkers.
Saturday 24 December is the time for the much anticipated Placing of the Infant Jesus. This emotional ceremony sees the statue of Jesus carried in a procession from the church to the lake, where it is given to a team divers who will place it in the shell used as a manger, while other divers are tasked with lighting up the water with torches.   
To celebrate Epiphany, at 18:00 on Friday 6 January the Great Bonfire of La Befana will be set alight on the waters of the lake, set to music by the FilarmoNica G. Verdi from Laveno Mombello.