Christmas with your folks, sure. But at home or outside? This year's holidays will see an increasing number of Italians choosing restaurants to celebrate with family and friends. This is according to Fipe-Confcommercio, which estimates that more than 5 million people will dine out on 25 December, marking a 10.2 percent increase over the previous year. To meet this demand, some 90,000 restaurants will remain open, where the average expenditure for a full menu is expected to be around 74 euros per person.

For New Year’s Eve, in turn, Federconsumatori predicts that 31.9 percent of Italians will opt to dine out: not only in restaurants, but also in establishments that will also offer food for the occasion. In this case, the average expenditure for a traditional menu will be around 52 euros per person, registering an increase of 5.1 percent compared to last year. The main motivation for choosing Christmas lunch or dinner away from home remains to avoid the burden of home preparation, but the number of people making this choice to try out new recipes and to find themselves in experiential settings is also increasing.

As for locations, while vacation destinations remain solid, especially in mountain areas and art cities, there is also a growing trend this year to celebrate in the city, with an increase in reservations at urban restaurants. Out-of-home celebrations with family also remain predominant, but the number of those choosing to share the convivial moments of the holidays with friends is growing, taking advantage of offers for larger groups.

In terms of menus, holiday preferences will continue to emphasize traditional Italian dishes, with a focus on quality ingredients and sustainability. While many restaurants will offer creative variations of the classics, with local and seasonal products, perhaps organic and zero-mileage, there will be no shortage, however, of those who will try their hand at alternative ideas. And if one of the gourmand trends of 2024 was the sweet-savory pairing, here is pear and gorgonzola risotto or brie and blueberry baskets among the starters.

There will also be those who will draw on foreign traditions: from an Angus roast beef to a filet Wellington to eggs Benedict, to be contrasted with a very fresh, and very Mediterranean, fennel and orange salad. In dessert, there will be no history: we are the ones who export panettone all over the world, and again this year the king of leavened products will be the great protagonist of the dessert moment. Strictly artisanal and made with fresh local ingredients that wink at traditions: from Sorrento lemons in Campania to Bronte pistachios in Sicily.

And for those who also want to prepare in advance for the 2025 holidays, the place to find out how the market is evolving is Host 2025, at fieramilano - Rho from 17 to 21 October, 2025.