Befana 2027 in Italy: Epiphany in Rome, Urbania and Venice

1. Who is the Befana, and why the celebration changes from town to town

The Befana is the old woman who, on the night of 5 to 6 January, comes down the chimney to fill the children’s stockings: sweets for the good ones, coal for the others. Today that coal is usually black sugar. Her name comes from a popular distortion of the Greek word epifania, Epiphany. Theories about her origin remain hypotheses: some researchers link her to pre-Christian traditions, others to a figure that emerged in the Middle Ages to personify Epiphany. No single origin is established.

6 January closes the Christmas holiday cycle. The same character takes very different forms depending on the place: a street festival in Urbania, a descent from a bell tower in Pistoia, a race of costumed rowers in Venice, a religious procession in Rome. Choosing your destination means choosing a format, not just a city.

2. 6 January 2027: what is fixed and what is not

The date of Epiphany does not change: it falls on Wednesday 6 January 2027, a national public holiday. The status comes from the parliamentary file of the Chamber of Deputies, which lists 6 January among the national civil holidays. The dossier AC 578 sets out the legal basis.

What changes from one year to the next is the organisation around the day. Wednesday the 6th creates no structural long weekend: Monday 4 and Tuesday 5 are working days. Schools are due back on Thursday 7 January in most regions, and Sicily extends its break to that same 7 January inclusive. Not all regional calendars were final when we checked them.

Source: icalendario.it (Epiphany 2027) and money.it, school calendar 2026-2027 (return to school), checked on 24 October 2026.

For the days to plan around 6 January, see our article on Christmas and New Year 2026-2027.

3. Rome: the descent on Piazza Navona and its backup plan

Piazza Navona on 6 January: a descent that depends on the weather

Wednesday 6 January 2027 Cancelled in 2026 due to a weather alert 2027 time not yet published

In 2025, the Befana’s descent took place on Piazza Navona, from the Borromini terrace, between the dome and the bell tower of Sant’Agnese. According to LaPresse, « thousands and thousands » of families filled the square that day. The square stays very crowded: arrive early if you want to see the scene. The Christmas market that surrounds the square is covered in our Piazza Navona market guide; here we only look at the 6 January programme.

The time is not set for 2027, and the sources disagree. Turismo Roma indicates a descent from 10 am for the 2024-2025 season. A Roma Capitale notice dated 6 December 2025, passed on by our market guide, announces 2 pm. We did not open that notice directly: check the time the day before.

The risk is real. On 6 January 2026, the mayor of Rome signed an order banning recreational and sporting events in public spaces that day, because of heavy rain and an orange weather alert. The Befana’s flight over Piazza Navona was cancelled, and the parks and cemeteries closed (Wanted in Rome, 6 January 2026). The descent therefore depends on the municipal order and on conditions on the day, which are sometimes only settled at the last minute.

If the descent is cancelled, as in 2026, the afternoon can take another turn. A three-hour cooking class run by Eat and Walk Italy is one option. The listing places it a few steps from Piazza Navona, at the restaurant Gusto al Passeto (via Giuseppe Zanardelli 14): fettuccine, ravioli and tiramisu. The listing offers a full refund if you cancel at least 24 hours before the start, and the operator does not cancel the activity because of bad weather.

Highlights

• The Baroque setting of the square, with its fountains, in the heart of the historic centre on the day of the festival.
• A family and popular celebration, with the descent visible up close if you arrive early.
• A complementary religious event the same day: the Viva la Befana procession, which heads to St Peter’s Square.

Pixidia tip: don’t build your whole day around the descent alone. Keep a cultural alternative, and check the municipal order the day before, because it is the order that decides.

Rome 3 in 1 Cooking Class: Fettuccine, Ravioli & Tiramisu €52 to €64 per person (based on 2 adults), slots available on 6 and 7 January 2027 as of 24 October 2026 · ★ 4.8 (3045 reviews on Viator)

Book the cooking class

On 6 January, Rome’s major sites generally keep their usual hours, but booking changes the picture. The table below reproduces Turismo Roma’s listing for 6 January 2026, the last festival day with published hours.

Source: Turismo Roma, holiday opening hours 2025-2026, checked on 24 October 2026.

On 6 January 2027 falls within the Colosseum’s winter season, which runs from 25 October 2026 to 28 February 2027. According to an extract of the official page (colosseo.it, page not opened directly), it opens at 8:30 am, the last entry is at 3:30 pm, and the park closes at 4:30 pm. Visits are on a mandatory timed slot, and tickets go on sale 30 days ahead (colosseo.it, checked on 24 October 2026 via the site’s search results). These hours apply to the period: nothing guarantees a special arrangement on 6 January.

The Vatican Museums were closed on 6 January 2026. For 2027, nothing is confirmed: check the official site before you buy anything. The Viva la Befana procession follows a different logic. Launched in 1985 by a group of volunteers according to Vatican News (a 2019 article), it arrives at St Peter’s Square in the morning. The Holy See published the programme for the 2026 edition: after the midday Angelus, from the central Loggia, the three Magi offered Pope Leo XIV symbolic gifts. Our Christmas at the Vatican guide details the religious events of the period.

4. Urbania: the national festival, its tower and its giant stocking

The 2026 programme ran from Saturday 3 to Tuesday 6 January. The table below gathers the known times, to be repeated for 2027 without guarantee.

Source: SiViaggia, 2026 programme, checked on 24 October 2026. The time of the descent from the tower is not given in this source.

For 2027, the official site contradicts its own programme. The header announces a 30th edition on « 5-6 gennaio 2027 », while the programme section still refers to 2026. The edition number is consistent (the 29th was held in 2026), and the likely window is 5 and 6 January 2027. Nothing is confirmed, though: the date of the descent, the times and the events must be checked on festadellabefana.com, checked on 24 October 2026.

The 2025 ticket price and the one on the official page differ. The adult ticket went from €6 to €8, with no visible date on the page. Under-10s and residents enter for free. Tickets are sold through LiveTicket.

Source: festadellabefana.com (official page) and Comune di Urbania (2025 edition), checked on 24 October 2026.

Without a car, the route goes through Pesaro station, then a direct bus to Urbania, which takes about 1 hour 30 according to the published information. Fano is also served. The nearest airport is Ancona-Falconara, about 90 km away (SiViaggia, 2025). Special bus and train timetables for 2027 are not published as of our check.

An article from SiViaggia, about the 2025 edition, puts a room at €80 to €150 a night. Local press reports that the town often sells out during the festival: book early.

5. Venice: the Regata delle Befane on the Grand Canal

Venice, 6 January: a race of Befane on the Grand Canal

Tuesday 6 January, 2026 edition Start 10 am, finish at the Rialto January: damp cold

The Regata delle Befane is Venice’s version of the festival: a race on the Grand Canal in which the rowers dress as Befane. It is organised by the Reale Società Canottieri Bucintoro, which published the 2026 programme on 31 December 2025. The race finishes under the Rialto Bridge, where the « Befana 2026 » is crowned late in the morning.

To see the finish, pick a bank near the Rialto Bridge before 10:30 am, when the procession arrives and the giant stocking is put on display. You can get there by vaporetto, at the Rialto stop. In January the lagoon is cold: dress in layers and expect to stand on the quay for a while.

Highlights

• A timed programme published in advance, which lets you plan the morning.
• The Grand Canal setting, with the Rialto as a finish line visible from several banks.

Pixidia tip: the 2027 programme was not published as of our check. Do not book an excursion whose timing depends on the regatta until you have confirmed it with the organiser.

The 2026 programme follows a simple timeline, gathered in the table below. The times are those published by the organiser for this edition.

Source: Reale Società Canottieri Bucintoro, programme published on 31 December 2025, checked on 24 October 2026.

If you spend the day in Venice, also check the entry rules for the city in 2027. Our article on the Venice access fee in 2027 sets out the days concerned.

6. Pistoia and Viterbo: two other formats

Pistoia, in Tuscany, held a descent of the Befana from the Duomo bell tower on Tuesday 6 January 2026, from 4 pm to 6 pm, on the Piazza del Duomo. The event was organised by the fire brigade, with the City (Visit Pistoia, consulted on 24 October 2026). No 2027 programme was published as of our check.

Viterbo, in Lazio, is known for its Calza della Befana, billed as the longest stocking in the world. In 2026 it was scheduled with a fallback to Saturday 10 January in case of bad weather. The descent is handled by the fire brigade’s S.A.F. specialists, and more than a thousand stockings are handed out free to children (SiViaggia, search extract, consulted on 24 October 2026). No source we consulted confirms a descent from a bell tower in Viterbo: do not plan for it without checking first.

7. Indicative budget and how to organise the day

The budget depends mostly on the town you choose and on transport. 2027 prices are not published yet, and most prices should be checked at the time of booking.

• Urbania festival ticket: €8 for an adult according to the official page (undated), free for under-10s and residents.
• Accommodation in Urbania: €80 to €150 a night for a room, according to SiViaggia (2025 edition).
• Cooking class in Rome: €52 to €64 per person, based on 2 adults, for the slots on 6 and 7 January 2027 checked on 24 October 2026.
• Colosseum and Vatican Museums: not priced here. The prices we found contradict each other from one site to another, and the official pages were not read for prices.

To combine Rome and the descent, a typical day can follow this order: in the morning, the procession towards St Peter’s, with the midday Angelus (a ritual observed in 2026); after lunch, the Borghese Gallery, which required a booking in 2026; then Piazza Navona, if the descent goes ahead, at the time published the day before. Leave a margin: the Roman programme depends on the weather, and the plan changes if the descent is cancelled.

For Urbania, plan to sleep on site if you can, and book your return transport in advance.

What other guides don’t tell you

These points come from official sources or dated checks, and are often missing from general guides.

• The dates for Urbania 2027 are not fixed. The header of the official site announces a 30th edition on « 5-6 gennaio 2027 », while its programme still refers to 2026. Guides often repeat the 2025 or 2026 dates without saying so (festadellabefana.com, consulted on 24 October 2026).
• The Befana’s flight over Piazza Navona was cancelled on 6 January 2026. A mayoral order banned recreational events in public spaces because of an orange weather alert (Wanted in Rome, 6 January 2026, consulted on 24 October 2026).
• The Vatican Museums were closed on 6 January 2026, while the Borghese Gallery required a booking. Guides rarely distinguish between these two rules (Turismo Roma, consulted on 24 October 2026).