“Oh bej! Oh bej!” - the cry of wonder that has ushered in Milan’s Christmas season for over five centuries. The 2025 market - the historic Obej Obej Fair - once again traces a luminous ring around the Castello Sforzesco, between Viale Gadio, Piazza Castello, and Piazza del Cannone. Here, Milan becomes a sensory stroll: aromas of spices and mulled wine, carved wood, ceramics, textiles, panettone and mostarda. Hundreds of vendors animate an ephemeral village where handmade craft takes center stage, flanked by antique stalls and curiosities from another time. A much-anticipated feature: an area devoted to nativity scenes and tree ornaments, from artisanal miniatures to contemporary sparkle. More than shopping, the fair is a collective ritual interwoven with the festivities for Saint Ambrose, the city’s patron saint: an atlas of traditions that mingles families, regulars, and travelers passing through. As evening falls and the lights warm the ramparts, the murmur swells into a chorus: “Oh belli! Oh belli!” It’s the truest soundtrack of the holidays - an invitation to lose yourself, and find yourself again, among Milan’s stories.
