Toward a Christmas without markets. Trento gives up, Bolzano plans to follow

It is looking like a Christmas without the traditional markets because of the Covid-19 health emergency. There will certainly be no Trento Christmas markets, the first edition of which dates back to 1993. The cancellation was announced today by the mayor of Trento, Franco Ianeselli: the 27th edition of the now classic event will most likely not take place. The dpcm launched last night by Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte imposes a stop to village fairs and festivals, but the markets do not fall under this case, so theoretically there would have been the possibility of organizing them: however, the authorities of Trento consider it prudent, due to the increase in cases of coronavirus also in the region, to sanction the cancellation. It is not yet an official “no,” but it is taken for granted: too high a risk of gatherings and, as is well known, precisely festive gatherings are one of the most typical features of Christmas markets.

“We have also said that we value community Christmas,” said Ianeselli, “so we might think of other forms, but that there cannot be markets as there have been in past years seems obvious to me. At the moment it seems unlikely to us that they can be held.” In addition, again the mayor let it be known that “there is already an ordinance on the prohibition of consuming beverages in one area of the city and it will definitely be extended. Tomorrow we will have to decide whether to extend it only to the restricted traffic zone or to the entire city area.” The city council then makes an argument based on responsibility, since the contagion is high in different parts of Italy, and Trento does not want to help fuel it (not to mention the fact that the markets attract many tourists to the city).

Trento will most likely be joined by Bolzano, where the markets would be celebrating their 30th birthday, since they have been held there since 1990: the mayor of the South Tyrolean capital, Renzo Caramaschi, has already announced that it will be “very difficult” to see the little wooden houses in the city’s squares. “It’s all very complicated,” he said, “food and drinks are not allowed to be consumed at tables, it’s difficult to control the distance and the number of people. Next week there will be a meeting with all the stakeholders from the other markets as well and with Governor Kompatscher and we will see what can be done.”

Image: the Trento Christmas markets (Credit Province of Trento)

Toward a Christmas without markets. Trento gives up, Bolzano plans to follow

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