Sant’Ambrogio and Christmas shopping in Milan – Updated!!

Every year in Milan, Italy there is the Sant’Ambrogio holiday on the 7th December.  Sant’Ambrogio is the patron saint of Milan and to celebrate the day dedicated to the Milanese Saint there is the ‘Oh Bei, Oh Bei’ mercatino.

‘Mercatino’ literally means ‘little market’ whereas in actual fact the street market held near the Sant’Ambrogio church in Milan should really be called a ‘mercatone’- which is ‘big market’, for that is what it is.

Milan’s Oh Bei, Oh Bei Fair

Gnomes at Milan's Christmas Fair

A number of streets around the Cattolica University in Milan were crammed with stalls selling all sorts of goodies, both edible and not so edible, the market is now surrounds the Castello, which is at the end of Via Dante.

You will find the ‘porchetta’ sandwiches – which are made with pork, only this pork has been embellished with certain spices and tastes very good. You can also munch on the calorific round and flat pieces of dough, called frittelle which are deep fried in oil and then rolled in sugar.   Yummy, but not good for diets. There are also stalls selling antiques, paintings and many other bits and bob and trinkets.

Christmas Present Ideas

The market itself is worth wandering around as it is a feast for the eyes and it also provides an opportunity to pick up a few presents and other things for Christmas.  The only problem is that the area became absolutely jam packed with inquisitive people, but it was well worth the battle with the crowds in my opinion.

This year the area may not be so crowded due to the move to the zone around the castle, which should mean the crowds have a little more space to circulate. Usually at this time of year the cold is starting to bite and everyone is dressed up in heavy winter coats to keep the cold at bay.  Not this year though.

This year the real cold has yet to make an appearance, indeed the news today carried a piece about the absence of snow in the Alps, unless you go above 2500 metres.

Oh Bei, Oh Bei, Milan

Anyway if you happen to find yourself in Milan on the 7th of December, wander on down to the Castello area and do some serious browsing around the street market. It’s worth it.  Oh and if it is cold, and even if it is not, order a ‘cioccolato con panna montata’ from any nice looking bar that takes your fancy.  If you like chocolate, you will like this!

I should also add that Milan is a great place to do your Christmas shopping too.  There is a wonderful variety of shops and plenty of places which do presenty things in the centre of town – there is a good shop in Corso Matteotti, which is near Piazza San Babila.  I don’t know the name, but it is on the left hand side of the road as you walk up Matteotti with your back to Piazza San Babila.

Have fun!

If you are thinking about coming to Milan to shop for Christmas gifts, then this more recent post may be of interest:  Milan’s Christmas Craft Fair – L’Artigiano in Fiera

Spice Up Your Visit to Milan

Here you will find a good choice sightseeing tours and other useful goodies, such as the handy Milano Card, which will help you get the most out of your visit to Milan:

Click the link for details and reviews of  Milan Sightseeing Tours and Activities.

If you do book something using the link above, Blog from Italy will receive some commission – so many thanks for helping this site grow and cover its costs – Alex Roe.  And don’t forget to come back to Blog from Italy and let me know how your trip to Milan and any tours you took went.  I’ll pass feedback on to the tour seller, if you like.

Photos courtesy of Gloria Chang on Flickr who has a lovely selection of photos of Milan!