Daniele loves Christmas and feels it’s a particularly important time of year, which is why he and Claudio, his business partner, close their restaurant Il Tino on Christmas Eve through to Boxing Day. ‘A dish that always reminds me of the festive period is cappelletti in brodo (‘little hats’ in broth),’ he says. This is a very popular dish throughout Italy, particularly Emilia-Romagna, of cappelletti – a very small filled pasta – cooked in a clear meat broth. ‘It is my grandmother’s recipe and the pasta is filled with cheese, usually Stracchino and Parmesan.

Also on Daniele’s Christmas table is fritti, a starter comprised of mixed fried vegetables such as broccoli and artichokes, and abbacchio, which is roast lamb with potatoes. ‘There are some really tasty parts of the lamb, such as the brain and offal,’ says Daniele. ‘Every year my family always fights over who gets to eat them!’

‘One of the dishes we always make every Christmas is minestra maritata – a wedding soup made of five different vegetables and two broths,’ says Giuseppe, who runs Ristorante Oseleta in Verona. This dish actually has nothing to do with weddings; it refers to the fact that the flavour of the meat and vegetables in it ‘marry’ well together. It often contains pasta of some form – either filled as in Giuseppe’s recipe or small varieties such as orzo – as well as different meats and vegetables.

Giuseppe also eats fried capitone (eel) and cod with salad on Christmas Eve. This is a tradition found throughout Fruili, Veneto, Emilia-Romagna and Puglia, but it is most celebrated in Naples, Giuseppe’s home town. No one really knows where the tradition came from, but in the build up to Christmas Eve, the city’s main fish market, Porto Nolana, sells thousands of eels to local families. These days, the eels are usually gutted the second they’re purchased by the fishmonger, but there are still many people who prefer to take them home alive, keeping them as fresh as possible for the big day. There’s usually some fish left over, which is then enjoyed in a salad on Christmas Day with olives and cauliflower.

For dessert Giuseppe eats pastiera, another Neapolitan speciality. It’s a cake made from grano cotto, which is cooked wheat, as well as ricotta, orange flower water and vanilla. Pastiera has been eaten in the area since ancient times, made by nuns at the San Gregorio Armeno church for rich families in Naples.

Norbert spends Christmas in South Tyrol with his family, amongst the snowy mountains of the area. ‘Christmas is such an important time of year for me and my family,’ he says. ‘I like to spend it with my five-year-old son and visit the restaurant to see the team as we are very busy at this time of year. When I was younger, I would always get my skis out and enjoy a Christmas Day ski down the mountain.’

South Tyrol is well known for its Christmas markets, which, thanks to its close proximity to Austria, means there’s plenty of gingerbread, vin brulè (mulled wine), apple strudel and carved wooden figures on offer.