Christmas church music, carols and midnight Mass in Tuscany, 2026

By the ULTIMATE Tuscany Editorial Team

Candlelit carols at St Mark’s English Church

St Mark’s, the Anglican church in a Renaissance palazzo on Via Maggio in the Oltrarno, has its Candlelit Carol Service with Christingles on Sunday 13 December 2026 from 6.30pm: carols and Bible readings, then mince pies and mulled wine in the church’s 15th-century Salone.

Its Advent Sundays bring a Choral Eucharist at 10.30am (29 November, 6, 13 and 20 December). On Sunday 6 December at 2.30pm, Dream with Me, a concert of lullabies from near and far with Stuart Homan, Elizabeth Madama and Serena Meloni, is free; on Thursday 17 December at 7.30pm a one-man Christmas Carol after Dickens costs €15 at the door.

Our advice: some Christmas activities must be booked; email the church’s administrator (administrator@stmarksitaly.com).

St Mark’s English Church: What’s On →   St Mark’s English Church: Christmas events →

Nine Lessons and Carols and Midnight Mass at St James

St James Church, the American Episcopal church on Via Bernardo Rucellai near Santa Maria Novella, keeps Gaudete Sunday, 13 December 2026, with the traditional Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols within its 11am service.

On Christmas Eve, Thursday 24 December, it celebrates two Eucharists: a Family Mass at 6pm and a Solemn Midnight Mass at 11pm; a quiet service follows on Christmas Day.

Our advice: the Christmas Day time was not yet printed; check the church’s calendar or call 055 29 44 17 in December.

St James Church: 2026 liturgical calendar →

Children’s choirs and The Nutcracker at the Teatro del Maggio

Florence’s opera house gives its Christmas concert on Sunday 6 December 2026 at 6pm in the Sala Grande: Giulio Prandi conducts the orchestra, chorus and children’s choirs of the Maggio Academy in Mozart’s Vesperae solennes, Fauré and Messager’s Messe des pêcheurs de Villerville, Rameau and Handel’s Hallelujah, with every seat at €15.

On Wednesday 23 December at 8pm, Gianandrea Noseda conducts the Orchestra del Maggio and the Academy’s children’s choir in Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker in concert (€15–€70).

Our advice: the €15 Christmas concert is the warmest ticket of Florence’s December; book early.

Maggio Musicale Fiorentino: December 2026 calendar →   Maggio Musicale Fiorentino: Christmas concert →   Maggio Musicale Fiorentino: The Nutcracker in concert →

O Emmanuel in Siena Cathedral

On Wednesday 23 December 2026 at 9pm, the Coro della Cattedrale di Siena “Guido Chigi Saracini” and Lorenzo Donati sing O Emmanuel in the Cattedrale metropolitana di Santa Maria Assunta, presented by Micat in Vertice as part of the city’s Siena Incanta programme.

Our advice: the cathedral’s striped marble and starry vault are at their most moving by night; arrive well before nine.

Comune di Siena: Siena Incanta, Natale 2026 →

Midnight Mass at the Duomo and Christmas at Santa Croce

The Christmas Night Mass in Florence Cathedral, Santa Maria del Fiore, is the city’s great Christmas liturgy, but the cathedral’s own pages could not be read when we checked and the 2026 time was not confirmed. Entry for worship needs no ticket.

The Basilica of Santa Croce holds holy-day Masses at 11am and 6pm; admission is always free for those who come to pray, through the north aisle door for the morning Mass and the Largo Bargellini side door in the evening. Its 2026 Christmas celebrations were not yet published.

Our advice: check duomo.firenze.it and santacroceopera.it in December, and arrive early for any Christmas Mass.

Opera di Santa Croce: liturgy →   Our guide to Christmas in Tuscany →

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