Songs and Films for an Italian Christmas

Choose a little music and one story for the screen. An Italian Christmas evening can begin with a carol, move into a family’s troublesome preparations for the holiday, or follow the toys that set off on their own Befana delivery. These three song selections and three screen choices offer different ways to spend that time together.

Start with the people who will be there. A children’s animation, a television staging of Eduardo De Filippo and an adult drama about a poker game call for different evenings. Choose the language and mood before planning the food, and leave room for a conversation when the music or story ends.

Three songs to begin

Tu scendi dalle stelle

A Christmas carol by Saint Alphonsus Maria de’ Liguori. Andrea Bocelli’s My Christmas, released in 2009, includes a recording under this title. It offers a specific starting point when you want to hear a familiar Italian Christmas carol rather than searching through an unnamed compilation. Keep the title and performer together when finding the recording.

Begin with this one song, then let someone else choose the next. If the melody brings back a family memory, ask where and with whom they heard it. For the sound of the zampogna and ciaramella, the zampognari guide introduces the instruments and the musical traditions around them.

Caro Gesù bambino

Another selection from Bocelli’s My Christmas. Choose it alongside the first carol when you would like to explore more of one singer’s Christmas recording. The album brings together different titles and musical traditions; selecting these two tracks gives your evening a short beginning without making the whole album compulsory listening.

You can write the titles on a small card for guests who would like to find them later. Keep the recording’s performer and album with the song name, especially when sharing the choice with someone who uses a different music service. Choose the version together if there is a particular performance your family already loves.

Astro del ciel

Laura Pausini’s Laura Xmas, first released in 2016 with the Patrick Williams Orchestra, includes this title. It gives the short selection a second singer and album to explore. Use the exact album name when looking for it: Pausini’s Christmas releases also include other titles and editions.

Try the three selections in that order, or ask each person to choose one. Keep the volume comfortable for the room and pause the music before starting the film. A few songs heard together can make a more deliberate beginning than leaving an unrelated stream running through the whole evening.

La freccia azzurra: a Befana adventure

Enzo D’Alò · 1996 · animation adapted from Gianni Rodari’s story. On the night between 5 and 6 January, the Befana’s assistant Scarafoni wants gifts to go only to children who can pay. The toys refuse that plan and set off for themselves. Paolo Conte’s music accompanies the adventure, with Dario Fo and Lella Costa among the Italian voices.

Choose this when animation and a story about gifts and generosity suit the group. Its conflict includes children being excluded through poverty, so look at the synopsis and consider the children who will watch. You can connect the story with La Befana and Epiphany, while keeping a fictional adventure distinct from the customs of an actual place.

Natale in casa Cupiello: Christmas on television

Eduardo De Filippo · the 1977 television staging. Luca Cupiello prepares his presepe while the family around him is caught in irritation and conflict. Concetta and their son Tommasino have little enthusiasm for his project, and daughter Ninuccia’s troubled marriage adds another strain. Eduardo, Pupella Maggio, Luca De Filippo and Lina Sastri are among the performers.

This choice is televised theatre, with a particular cast and version. Look for the 1977 production when that is the performance you want. Choose it for an evening of family drama and conversation rather than assuming that a Christmas setting makes the story light. Afterwards, Naples at Christmas offers another route into the city’s seasonal culture.

Regalo di Natale: an adult evening

Pupi Avati · 1986 · a drama set around a Christmas poker game. Five men gather in a villa near Bologna for a game that brings money, personal hopes and old relationships into the same room. The cast includes Diego Abatantuono, Gianni Cavina, Alessandro Haber and Carlo Delle Piane. Delle Piane received the best actor award at the 1986 Venice film festival for this film.

Choose it for adults interested in tension between people and the darker possibilities of a holiday gathering. Its Christmas title gives the setting, not a promise of family entertainment. Leave space to talk about what each character wants from the evening; the film is a different proposition from the generosity and animated adventure of La freccia azzurra.

Put the evening together

Choose one screen work rather than treating the three as a programme to complete. Check the actual edition or service in your country for access, language, subtitles and age guidance before inviting people. A catalogue page identifies the work; the version you can watch needs its own check. For a disc, confirm compatibility with the player as well.

If you would like something to make earlier in the day, a small presepe connects naturally with the Cupiello story. To turn a shared viewing into a present, explore the regional books and films gift guide. Return to Christmas in Italy for the next meal, visit or gathering, and let this evening remain one you have chosen for the people in the room.