In Italy, celebrating New Year’s Eve—the “La Festa di San Silvestro”—is about prosperity, luck, new beginnings, and a good dose of traditional Italian New Year’s food. From the snowy Alps in the north to the warmer coastal areas of the south, all parts of Italy have their own traditions and delicious dishes for ringing in the New Year, each meant to bring health, wealth, and happiness in the coming year.
I have been lucky to spend many New Year’s Eve (New Year’s Day or Capodanno) in Italy, where I got to sample many of these traditions. Having been in the US for a few years, my Italian in-laws always come to stay with us over New Year’s, and they always bring an entire suitcase full of traditional foods. Tortellini from Bologna, cotechino e lenticchie, dried lentils in three colors, a panforte the size of my head, and blocks of parmesan are all must-haves for their trip. I’ve gotten used to these traditional foods; I can’t imagine ringing in a New Year without them!
So, if you’re curious about visiting Italian cities during the holiday season, we can help you plan your trip there with our Italy travel planning service. Or, if you’re just curious about what Italians eat on New Year’s Eve, this guide will dive into the various foods you’ll find that time of year.
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Traditional Italian New Year’s Food: Italy-Wide Traditions
Italians love celebrating the coming of the New Year with fireworks, countdowns, parties, and food. The biggest meal is often the cenone di Capodanno or the New Year’s dinner. FYI, if you want to be extra festive, buon anno is how you say Happy New Year in Italian!
One of Italy’s most widely enjoyed traditional New Year’s Eve foods is lenticchie, or lentils. Lentils are enjoyed because of their coin-like shape, which is believed to symbolize wealth and financial fortune in the coming year. This tradition of lentils has been enjoyed in Italy for centuries and dates back to the ancient Romans when people would gift each other a bag of lentils to wish prosperity for the new year.
In some regions, lentils are paired with zampone (stuffed pig trotter) or cotechino sausage (a sizeable spiced Italian sausage) for extra richness and flavor. These dishes’ hearty, fatty nature symbolizes prosperity and strength, reinforcing hopes for a bountiful new year.
Prosecco, an Italian sparkling wine, is traditionally served for a toast at midnight. Champagne is less common since prosecco comes from Italy, after all! Sometimes, Italians might add a few articles from pomegranates to their glass, which is said to be good luck for their color (red) and has been a symbol of monetary richness and fertility since ancient Roman times.
Traditional New Year’s Food in Northern Italy
Northern Italy has some of the chilliest temperatures in the country, so it makes sense that its traditional New Year’s Eve foods are hearty and warm. On New Year’s Eve in Northern Italy, it’s common to eat tortellini in brodo or tortellini in a meat broth base.
In Trentino Alto Adige, you can also find canederli in brodo, an even heartier dish than tortellini. The canederli are made with meat, breadcrumbs, vegetables, and eggs. In Piemonte, instead, they enjoy the very traditional Piedmont dish, bollito misto, which is made from seven types of boiled meats. It’s a dish that can take the chill out of even the coldest nights.
Another typical first course in northern Italy is risotto. It swells as it cooks, symbolizing abundance in the upcoming year. Even though those meals are filling, no dinner would be complete without dessert! Most northern Italians indulge in their favorite Christmas dessert: Panettone or Pandoro.
Traditional New Year’s Eve Food in Central Italy
In Tuscany, Italians often enjoy ribollita, which means “reboiled” as it is a dish that started as a kind of leftover catchall soup. Historically, old bread, already boiled vegetable bits that didn’t get eaten, and leftover beans were all fair game in a ribollita. It’s not usually made today from leftovers but often appears on New Year’s Eve tables. It is the perfect dish to symbolize this region’s cucina povera (or simple kitchen) resourcefulness. This flavorful soup is seen as a “rebirth” dish since it’s made with leftovers but still delicious and full of life.
For dessert, Tuscans enjoy panforte, a dense, flat, spiced cake made of honey, nuts, and spices. The ingredients, especially the precious spices and nuts, symbolize health and wealth, and the cake is a nod to their rich agricultural heritage.
In Umbria, families often enjoy porchetta, a savory roast pork seasoned with garlic, fennel, and herbs. Like cotechino, porchetta represents abundance and prosperity.
Traditional New Year’s Food in Southern Italy
In southern Italy, where the climate is warmer, and the sea is always close by, New Year’s Eve meals are heavy on seafood. Italians in the southern regions often indulge in a variety of seafood dishes that represent their connection to the sea and symbolize abundance. Shrimp, clams, and mussels are commonly prepared in pasta dishes or as part of a frittata di pesce (fried seafood platter).
If pasta is served, you’ll find it’s always long pasta shapes, like spaghetti. This is because the shape of the pasta is tied to longevity, so the longer the pasta, the longer the life!
For sweets, the South does not disappoint on New Year’s Eve. One of the most common treats is struffoli or small fried dough balls covered in honey and sprinkles. This dessert is said to bring good luck and represents joy, abundance, and richness.
Even farther south in Sicily, you will find caponata, a sweet and sour dish made with eggplant, tomatoes, olives, and capers. Caponata is usually served as a side dish.
Sicilians also enjoy cassata for dessert, a sponge cake filled with ricotta cheese and candied fruits.
More Italian New Year’s Traditions
In addition to the regional dishes, certain New Year’s Eve traditions are shared widely across Italy.
Twelve Grapes
One such custom is eating twelve grapes at midnight, one for each month of the new year. This tradition, cherished by many Italian families, including my own, is believed to bring sweetness and luck to every month. Each grape represents a wish for happiness and success, and eating them together at midnight is a ritual that binds the family together in shared hope and optimism for the new year. In Italian, they say: Chi mangia l’uva per Capodanno, maneggia i quattrini tutto l’anno – which means – “who eats grapes at midnight, holds the money all year!”
Red Intimates
Another widespread tradition is wearing new red underwear on New Year’s Eve, which Italians believe brings good luck and love. Red symbolizes life, energy, and passion in the New Year. My mother-in-law gives me a new pair of red undergarments every Christmas, a small but meaningful gesture that keeps the tradition alive and reminds us of the power of starting fresh with optimism and love.
Old Pots
Another older Italian tradition that’s no longer routinely practiced is throwing away old things to say goodbye to the old year. My grandfather from Puglia told me his parents and grandparents would save old pots, cups, and even furniture all year long so that at the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Eve, they could throw them from their window into the yard below. This symbolizes getting rid of the old to make way for the new. While I don’t know any Italians who still do this, it’s still fun to imagine entire villages throwing things from their windows on New Year’s Eve.
Traditional Italian New Year’s Eve food celebrates Italy’s cultural heritage, regional diversity, and shared values of abundance, hope, and good fortune. From the coin-like lentils and rich meats of the north to the seafood and sweets of the south, each dish on the New Year’s Eve table carries meaning and purpose.
At midnight, Italians come together to eat, laugh, and make wishes for the year ahead, bound by culinary traditions passed down through generations. These foods are more than a meal to Italians; they are symbols of all the good blessings they hope to have in the year to come.
Frequently Asked Questions
Italian New Year’s Eve, known as La Festa di San Silvestro, features several traditional dishes thought to bring prosperity and good luck for the coming year:
- Cotechino: A rich, flavorful sausage made from pork, fatback, and pork rind, symbolizing abundance and richness. It is traditionally served with lentils, which bring good fortune.
- Lenticchie (Lentils): Eaten after midnight, lentils are thought to bring wealth because their small, round shape resembles coins.
- Zampone: Like cotechino, zampone is a stuffed pig's foot filled with seasoned minced pork. It's another dish that represents abundance.
- Risotto in Bianco: White risotto, often flavored with Parmesan cheese, is a lighter dish that balances the heavier meats.
- Prosecco or Spumante: Sparkling wines from Italy, such as Prosecco or Spumante, are drunk to toast the New Year at midnight, symbolizing the bubbly excitement of new beginnings.
Desserts during Italian New Year's celebrations are as varied and delicious as the main courses, with some regional and traditional favorites including:
- Panettone: A Milanese cake filled with candied fruits and raisins, typically enjoyed during Christmas and New Year’s festivities.
- Pandoro: A sweet bread similar to panettone but without the fruits, dusted with powdered sugar, often shaped like a star.
- Struffoli: Neapolitan honey balls made from fried dough, covered in honey and sprinkled with colorful candies or sugar sprinkles, symbolizing abundance.
- Torrone: A chewy nougat made from honey, egg whites, and toasted almonds, often found at holiday tables across Italy.
Italian New Year’s food traditions can vary significantly from one region to another, reflecting Italy’s rich culinary diversity:
- North: In regions like Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna, lentils with cotechino or zampone is typical, accompanied by sparkling wine.
- Central: In places like Rome, it’s common to have a meal that includes dishes like lentils with sausages, symbolizing the hope for prosperity and health.
- South: In the Southern parts, especially in Naples, besides the cotechino with lentils, a seafood meal might also take place earlier in the evening before the traditional midnight dishes.
Traditional Italian Christmas Food
To fully embrace Italy’s festive season, take a step back and explore the delicious traditions of Christmas as well. Our guide to traditional Italian Christmas food highlights the must-try dishes that make the holidays unique, from sweet panettone to hearty regional feasts. To explore the season’s flavors more fully, check out our article on traditional Italian Christmas food.
Have Us Plan Your Italy Trip
The Christmas market season in Italy is one of the most underrated and most enjoyable times to be in Italy. If you want planning a New Year’s trip to Italy, contact us for a travel consultation with one of our expert Italy planners!
