Step Into Piazza Navona on January 6
It is the morning of January 6, and Piazza Navona is packed shoulder to shoulder. The long oval of the baroque square is lined with stalls selling sweets, toys, nativity figures and artisan crafts, and the air smells of sugar, roasted nuts and fried dough. Somewhere in the crowd a puppet theatre is performing, a street artist is drawing a circle of onlookers, and children are holding up their bags for the gifts and sweets handed out when La Befana herself arrives theatrically from 10:00 a.m. This is the finale of Rome's Epiphany, and it is worth planning your whole trip around.
Shop the Befana Market in Piazza Navona
The market in Piazza Navona runs daily through the season, closing on January 6. Its tradition spans more than two centuries: it began at Piazza Sant'Eustachio and moved to Piazza Navona after Italian unification. Come for the stalls and stay for the performance.
- Browse vendors selling holiday sweets, Christmas gastronomy, decorations, nativity scenes, toys, artisan crafts and books.
- Watch puppet theatres and street artists working the square.
- Arrive early on January 6 if you want a viewing position for La Befana's 10:00 a.m. arrival; the square fills fast.
- Walk there easily from the Pantheon or Campo de' Fiori. Bus routes serving the square include 30, 40, 46, 62, 64, 70, 81, 87, 116, 492 and 628.
Hear the Banda della Polizia Locale
Rome's municipal police band, the Banda della Polizia Locale di Roma Capitale, performs Christmas and traditional music on December 15 and January 5. If you are in the city in the days before Epiphany, build an evening around the January 5 performance — it lands on the eve of La Befana's night, when the whole city is already in a festive mood.
Bring the Children — or Borrow Some
Epiphany in Rome is a family holiday, and much of the programming is built for children. The Biblioteche di Roma public library system runs creative workshops and cultural initiatives for families and children through the season. Roma Capitale also provides free gazebo spaces to third-sector organizations running social, educational and cultural initiatives for children and families, so you will find activities beyond the market stalls.
- Check the library system's programme for workshop dates and locations.
- Look for the free gazebos run by social and cultural organizations around the city.
- On the night of January 5, remember the tradition: La Befana leaves sweets for good children and coal for misbehaving ones.
Find the Nativity Scenes Before They Come Down
Churches across Rome display elaborate nativity scenes through Epiphany, and by tradition they are dismantled afterwards. Use the days before January 6 to visit as many as you can — this is the last stretch of the extended Christmas season, and the presepi are part of why Romans keep the season running into the new year.
January 6 is a national holiday in Italy. It marks both the arrival of the Three Wise Men and the folk tradition of La Befana, the elderly woman in tattered black clothing with a soot-smudged face who rides a broomstick. According to the legend, she declined the Wise Men's invitation to join their journey to Bethlehem and later set out alone searching for the Christ child. Her name derives from "Epifania," and the figure's origins trace back to ancient Roman winter solstice celebrations, later absorbed into the Christian Epiphany tradition.
Plan Around the Holiday Closures
Most shops close on January 6, and museums and attractions may open with modified hours — verify directly with each venue before you go. For current market hours, admission prices and programming, check Roma Capitale and Turismoroma.it. The market's published dates in recent seasons have run from early December through January 6, so plan your visit for that window and confirm the details for your travel year before you book.
Start with the dates: aim to be in Rome for January 5 and 6, and let Piazza Navona be your anchor. Book your accommodation within walking distance of the historic center, check the library and municipal programmes closer to your trip, and give yourself the morning of Epiphany entirely to the square.