Market and Christmas program in Arzachena
Christmas in Sardinia is enriched for 2022 with an attractive program of events; the Christmas program of Arzachena is in fact particularly loaded for the celebration in Tempio Pausania of the centenary of the municipal autonomy (1922-2022). The municipality of one of the most populated areas of Gallura (the second after Olbia), located in the province of Sassari, has organized a dense program entitled “100 times Christmas in Arzachena”.
Not only, therefore, the Costa Smeralda, the eighteenth-century churches of Santa Maria della Neve and Santa Lucia, the necropolis of Li Muri, the Nuragic complexes of Albucciu and Malchittu, the giants’ tombs of Li Lolghi and Coddu Vecchiu, the stazzi and the Ethnographic and Mineralogical Museum: spending your holidays in Arzachena during this Christmas period is even more beautiful.
To reach Arzachena you can take a ship to Olbia, which is about 25 kilometers away, and continue by car or bus (line 601). There are several shipping companies active on this route. The Livorno – Olbia ferries are cruise ferries operating all year round, with departures both day and night (journey time is approximately nine hours); the Civitavecchia – Olbia ferries are also in the same class, making annual night trips and covering this route in about eight hours. You can travel, if you wish, even with a vehicle in tow, transportable on board.
Christmas market
The Christmas Market has already been set up in Piazza Risorgimento (historic center of Arzachena) in November and will take place here until 6 January. The sixteen wooden stands host hobbyist exhibitors, who present creations in fabric, ceramic, leather, cork, wood, agricultural producers, sweets sellers and volunteers who offer tastings of typical local products. Art labs and workshops are also organised.
Event schedule
From 3 December to 8 January you can have fun on the ice skating rink installed in the municipal Auditorium, with music and entertainment to make the atmosphere even more electrifying; Saturday 3 December street artists and fire show in the historic centre, where a food and wine festival with live music will be held on Sunday 4 December; on the day of the Immaculate Conception you can attend the lighting ceremony of the Christmas tree in the square, with a musical fairy tale and the arrival of Santa Claus; from 9 to 11 December and from 16 to 18 the little ones can visit Santa’s House with music, workshops and entertainment; on 10 December the Monumental Nativity Scene will be inaugurated at the entrance to the village (Baja Sardinia) with refreshments and lots of music; Sunday 11 December the Chestnut Festival is scheduled, to taste roasted chestnuts to the rhythm of the Christmas Band and watch the launch of the wishing lantern; on December 13, for the feast of Santa Lucia, in the churchyard of the saint, a sung religious celebration will be held and games for children and pancakes will be available, with the Christmas melodies of bagpipers in the background; Sunday 18th is the Christmas Day of the hamlet of Cannigione, characterized by the market and music, dances and gastronomic tastings; from 21st to 23rd December the Christmas Village will be set up in the hamlet of Abbiadori (piazza Padre Pio), where we will find an inflatable house and wooden games, and children will be able to write letters to Santa Claus and enjoy the make up by the elves; from 22 to 24 December in Piazza Risorgimento there will be Santa’s House and music, workshops and entertainment; Thursday 22 December Christmas in the square is characterized by creative workshops and circus performances, while in the evening in the church of Santa Maria della Neve you can attend a Gospel concert; on December 23 there will be the Magic Cartoon traveling show; the Silent Sardinia Festival will take place on the 27th with juggling and storytelling workshops, and on the 28th with a DJ set; Thursday 29 a clown will be in the square to cheer up the bystanders with a show and lots of entertainment; the final appointment is with Epiphany’s House that will be opened with music, creative workshops, juggling show and socks for everyone.
