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A stocking left out on 5 January gives Italian Christmas one more moment of anticipation. In the folk story, the Befana is an older woman who travels by broom and brings children sweets or coal during the night before Epiphany. The date to keep in mind is 6 January; the waiting begins the evening before.
You can meet the tradition at home, build a trip around Urbania’s festival or include Piazza Navona in a Rome stay. Choose the version that suits your family and the time you have. A small household ritual and a public festival have different rhythms, even when they share the same figure.
Who the Befana is
The name Befana comes from Epifania, the Italian word for Epiphany. The holiday is personified in the gift-bearing woman of the story. Her broom, stocking and night-time visit belong to folklore; treat them as a tale to share, with room for the version a family already knows.
Epiphany also has a Christian meaning associated with the Magi and their gifts to the infant Jesus. The religious celebration and the Befana story can sit beside one another in the same season. When visiting friends or relatives, ask which customs matter in their house before deciding how to join in.
The saying L’Epifania tutte le feste porta via gives the day its familiar role as a traditional close to the Christmas festivities. It is a good reason to enjoy one more gathering. Individual towns, families and celebrations keep their own calendars, so use the dates of the event you actually want to attend.
The night, the holiday and the event dates
6 January is a public holiday in Italy. Keep the household story, the holiday and a festival’s published dates distinct when planning a visit.
| Occasion | Date | What to plan |
|---|---|---|
| The Befana stocking | Night of 5–6 January | The household’s own gift-giving ritual |
| Epiphany | 6 January | Check the holiday opening times of your chosen visits |
| Urbania: Festa Nazionale della Befana | 5–6 January 2027 announced | Use the dated 2027 programme for individual activities |
| Rome: Piazza Navona’s seasonal festival | Scheduled through 6 January 2027 | Check special appearances and daily arrangements separately |
For a trip, choose your main occasion before booking the rest of the day. A festival visit needs an arrival and a return plan; a stocking at a relative’s house may simply need you to know when the family gathers. Leave time for the meal and the journey rather than treating every January appointment as part of one continuous event.
Urbania: 5–6 January 2027
Urbania, in the Marche, hosts the Festa Nazionale della Befana, announced for 5–6 January 2027 as its thirtieth edition. Use the festival’s official site for the current dates and visitor information.
Choose individual performances and activities from a day-by-day programme labelled for 2027. A programme marked 2026 describes the previous festival, including its performance times, map and activities. Confirm the applicable admission arrangements before travelling. The announced festival dates alone do not establish every activity’s timetable.
Keep the visit comfortable for the people coming with you. Pick a few activities once their times are confirmed, choose a meeting place and allow room for a meal or a break. Check the actual arrival and parking or public-transport arrangements for your travel date. A festival visit is easier to enjoy when the return journey has been considered before the afternoon begins.
Rome: Piazza Navona at the end of the season
Piazza Navona’s Festa della Befana is scheduled from 1 December 2026 to 6 January 2027 within the published multi-year seasonal calendar. It gives a Rome stay a setting for the final days of the festive period. Special performances and appearances have their own arrangements; use the current event information for a particular time or attraction.
Our Rome Christmas guide connects the piazza with the wider seasonal city, while the Christmas markets guide helps place it among the other Italian markets. Choose one part of Rome for the day and arrange the meal around it. Check holiday opening times separately for any museum or church interior you want to include.
If you are meeting friends, choose a precise point and time before setting out. Keep a visit to the piazza flexible enough for the people in your group, especially if the same day also includes a train, a flight or a family lunch. The market’s seasonal dates and the hours of your other appointments are separate parts of the plan.
A stocking and a shared story at home
For a household celebration, begin with the family’s own custom: where the stocking goes, when it is found and who will be there. The story gives the stocking its meaning; the contents can remain a small, personal gesture. Ask about food preferences before choosing sweets for somebody else.
Our Christmas sweets guide offers routes through the regional baking, and the Italian traditions guide sets the Befana within the longer festive calendar. Choose what belongs with your gathering. There is room for a familiar sweet, a story retold and a final wish before ordinary January days resume.
Bring the celebration home with the Befana lunch and stocking guide, with a proposed Tuscan menu, a cooking plan and ideas for packing the calza.
