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What to do on New Year’s Eve in the city? As Milan prepares to light up the sky above the Castello Sforzesco and Piazza Duomo with the customary midnight fireworks, there are those who prefer to get away from the hubbub of downtown to experience New Year’s Eve in a different way. Less than two hours from the city are alternative destinations that seem straight out of a fairy tale, where the silence of monasteries is intertwined with the lights streaming down ski slopes.
Between the snow-capped mountains of Valtellina and the magic of the Hermitage carved into the rock overlooking the lake these are very valid alternatives to the usual fires in downtown Milan.
The “spiritual” New Year’s Eve at the Hermitage of Santa Caterina del Sasso
https://www.eremosantacaterina.it/
Imagine the lapping of the waters and the history-laden halls of a 14th-century monastery overlooking Lake Maggiore. This proposal is designed for those who want a different-than-usual wake, capable of combining sharing, intimacy and a deep contact with nature, in a place steeped in spirituality. The monastery of Leggiuno will also remain open on the last day of the year, ready to welcome visitors in an atmosphere of magic and timeless charm.
Info on the evening at the Hermitage
The year closes with the third edition of “A Simple New Year’s Eve,” organized by the Archeologistics association. The following main activities are planned for the evening and night of the 31st:
- at 4:30 p.m. a guided tour of the hermitage, then continuing into the evening with the traditional and auspicious final toast at Cascine del Quicchio, accompanied by cake and panettone.
- At 6 p.m., a mass open to all will complete the day’s program.
- Starting at 7 p.m., the hermitage will welcome visitors in the early evening, including those who did not participate in the afternoon guided tour. They will be immersed in the silence and relaxing lapping of the waters of Lake Maggiore for a guided tour through the hermitage’s halls and panoramic views.
- For those who wish, it will be possible to dine at 8 p.m. at the Locanda dell’eremo, in a family atmosphere, with a menu offering appetizers, puff pastry ravioli with salmon and ricotta, roast pork with apple cream and potatoes from the inn. There will be no shortage of vegetarian alternatives, such as ricotta and pumpkin ravioli and tomini.
From the shores of the lake to the peaks of the Valtellina: the spectacular torchlight processions in the snow
If the allure of the monastery does not win you over, Lombardy’s mountains offer an alternative filled with excitement and twinkling lights: the legendary end-of-year torchlight processions. In Valtellina in Livigno, New Year’s Eve becomes an unforgettable collective ritual: hundreds of skiers descend the slopes, tracing trails of light into the night and transforming the mountain into a spectacle of fire and magic. 6 p.m. at School Camp 23.
In Bormio, a spectacular torchlight procession is held on the Stelvio Slope, with ski instructors and expert skiers descending illuminating the slope into the night. The event is accompanied by music, mulled wine and fireworks for a New Year’s Eve of excitement and magic.
New Year’s Eve on Lake Como: live music and fireworks on the water
https://initalia.virgilio.it/
We move on to Lake Como, which for New Year’s Eve organizes an atmospheric evening of live music and fireworks on the water:
- Downtown Como will host a large free “concertone” at 9 p.m., which will accompany the public until the midnight countdown.
- At the stroke of the new year, the sky above the lake will light up with a magical fireworks display, visible from all over the lakefront and surrounding villages.
Which destination to choose for the midnight toast?
Whether you want the solemnity of a medieval monastery, the charm of a torchlight procession through the snow or the energy of a concert on the lake, there is no shortage of alternatives just a stone’s throw from Milan.