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CHRISTMAS

Ten Christmas nativity scenes you’ll only see in Italy

Creative nativity scenes appear in homes, churches and public buildings across Italy in December, each one a little different. How many of these have you seen?

Published: 13 December 2021 18:09 CET
Updated: 18 December 2023 12:40 CET
Handmade nativity figures for sale on Via San Gregorio Armeno in Naples, often called 'Christmas Alley'.
A floating nativity scene on the River Po in northern Italy in December 2022. Photo by MARCO BERTORELLO / AFP.

1. The world’s largest

Let’s start with the world’s largest nativity scene, in Cinque Terre. Each year, the picturesque town of Manarola in the Liguria tourist spot is illuminated with over 15,000 lights – a tradition which began back in 1961 with a single cross.

The nativity scene today features than 150 statues illuminated using 8km of electrical cable.

IN PHOTOS: Magical nativity scene lights up Italy’s Cinque Terre coast

The Manarola nativity scene in Italy’s Cinque Terre. Photo: Marco Bertorello / AFP

2. A life-sized diorama

If as a child you ever dreamed of shrinking to the size of a piece of lego and wandering around your scale model playset, as an adult you can – in the village of Mosso in Piedmont, whose streets and buildings become populated with 200 life-sized papier-mâché figures at Christmas.

At the Presepe Gigante di Marchetto, you can take a photo with villagers pushing applecarts, selling cheese at the market, weaving with wooden looms or fetching water from the well.

3. Neapolitan style

No one does nativities quite like Naples. Head to the city’s “Christmas Alley”, Via San Gregorio Armeno, for a glimpse into the workshops that turn out many of the crib figures displayed all over Italy.

READ ALSO: Italy’s Christmas markets: Where and when to visit in 2023

Among the usual characters, look out for fishmongers, butchers, pizza makers and other figures that have made their way into Neapolitan Christmas tradition – not to mention the pop stars, footballers, politicians and other public figures that craftsmen slip in there too.

Italian artist Genny Di Virgilio holds a figurine representing Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II on Via San Gregorio Armeno, Naples. Photo by Eliano IMPERATO / AFP.

4. Living nativities

You might do a double take when you first see one of Italy’s presepi viventi – they are made up of real people in character. And rather than being a small display, these theatrical productions are often staged across an entire town centre.

There are several living nativities across the country, but perhaps the most famous one is found in the southern Italian city of Matera, known for its ancient cave houses and magical landscape. Walking through a 5km route through the sassi, or old town, visitors pass shepherds and artisans who will direct them to the actual crib.

5. A coffee machine nativity

For a country of coffee-lovers, it only makes sense. This one, carved out of wood, can be seen at Rome’s annual 100 Presepi exhibition, displaying nativities of all materials and sizes from around the world.

6. An edible version

You definitely shouldn’t tuck into the nativity scene in Olmedo, Sardinia – but you could. The elaborate figures on display at the presepe di pane in the church of Nostra Signore di Talia are made entirely of bread. 

READ ALSO: Where to catch Italy’s most impressive Christmas displays in 2023

7. On the water

The “floating nativities” of port town Cesenatico, Emilia-Romagna, are the only ones of their kind in the world. The boats display around 50 life-size statues throughout December, portraying a scene typical of the fishing village. Each year a new statue is added, and at night, lights bring the whole scene to life.

A floating nativity scene in Cesenatico. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

8. …and under it

Head to Laveno-Mombello on Lombardy’s Lago Maggiore for a look at a sunken nativity scene. The sight of the holy family – plus some seashells and palm trees – submerged in the waters of the lake makes for a surprising, but undeniably scenic, view.

9. Made of sand

In Jesolo near Venice, a nativity scene made entirely of sand – some 1,500 tonnes of it – is created each year with a different theme. 2023’s edition, to commemorate what’s said to be the 800th anniversary of the first nativity scene created by St Francis of Assisi, will consist of 14 scenes from the saint’s life.

10. Made of ice

Several (presumably colder) Italian towns instead sculpt their nativity scenes from ice. Massa Martana, a village in the province of Perugia, is one place where you can see life-sized figures carved from huge blocks of ice and dramatically illuminated.

For members

ITALIAN TRADITIONS

Showy or sincere? What Italians really think of Valentine’s Day

Do Italians really see Valentine's Day as just another imported commercial event, or is there more to it in the country famed for its love of romance? Silvia Marchetti explains.

Published: 9 February 2024 11:35 CET
Updated: 13 February 2024 17:13 CET
Showy or sincere? What Italians really think of Valentine’s Day

As a teenager I used to think Valentine’s Day was one of the most stupid celebrations of all, particularly since it always happened when I was boyfriend-less. 

I still find it quite ridiculous that there’s a day for couples to self-celebrate their relationship. But seeing my Italian friends get all worked up and excited about it weeks before, going crazy planning romantic weekends and dinners in exclusive restaurants, has made me realize that Valentine’s Day is really heartfelt in Italy, even more so than Carnival, with which it overlaps in February.

It’s yet another date for partying, which Italians excel at. But it is not perceived as a consumerist event, as just an excuse to splash out money and exchange gifts.

READ ALSO: Did Valentine’s Day really originate in Italy?

Italian couples generally do see it as the key moment to show their (alleged) love for each other, and to celebrate, usually by spending a couple of nights at a cozy agriturismo with a romantic dinner on February 14th. 

This should come as no surprise given that Italians are famous for being very romantic and passionate in so many ways. However, I was surprised when I came across a survey demonstrating how it’s mostly men (65 percent) who really care about going out with their girlfriends to have a good time on Valentine’s Day.

A couple kisses in front of the Colosseum in Rome on Valentine's Day on February 14, 2017.

Photo by FILIPPO MONTEFORTE / AFP.

On the other hand, some people tend to care more about appearances. Young women, in particular teenagers, like to show off at school or at the office, after a special night or weekend away, about what their boyfriends gifted them with, where they were taken for dinner, how luxurious the restaurant was and how much he spent on flowers, chocolates and drinks.

I recently discovered there’s a tiny restaurant for only two people (called ‘Solo Per Due’) which every year has to turn down hundreds of reservation requests. 

Italians tend to be very showy, as if the amount of money spent on celebrating Valentine’s Day measured the amount of love felt for one another. Some women love to compete with their girlfriends over who had the best outfit and sexiest underwear, and whether the dinner was followed by extraordinary love-making. The climax of the soirée though is when the man proposes to his girlfriend. 

READ ALSO: Here’s how to talk about love, sex, and dating in Italian

But generally speaking, as the survey highlighted, the majority of Italians find it important to be able to show feelings throughout the entire year, not just on Valentine’s Day. In fact, only 16 percent of Italians think Valentine’s Day is ‘la festa dell’amore’ (the celebration of love), as if couples only remembered to prove and demonstrate their reciprocal feelings through presents and expensive dinners on that particular day. 

There is however a distinction between the old and new generations in the perception of the festivity. Older people don’t really ‘feel’ Valentine’s Day. It’s mostly for teenagers and young couples, though of course there are exceptions.

There’s a sarcastic, popular Italian saying which rhymes: ‘San Valentino è la festa di ogni cretino che pensa di essere amato e invece ci rimane fregato’, which translated into English means: ‘ Valentine’s Day is the party for all the idiots who believe they’re loved and then find out they’ve been fooled’. It hints at the risk that it’s all an illusion and was never real love in the first place. 

My grandma used to tell me how the consumerist side of Valentine’s Day was a foreign import, and that Italians had lost touch with its deep, spiritual side, particularly the all-Italian origin of it. 

It is after all a religious celebration. It marks the martyrdom of San Valentino, born in the Umbrian town of Terni, who used to marry Christian couples in secret and has come to be the patron saint of all lovers.

I must admit, until very recently I did not know myself that what is worshipped as the relic-skull of Saint Valentine is kept in the Roman church of Santa Maria in Cosmedin close to Circo Massimo, where tourists usually flock to admire the world-famous Bocca della Veritá (The Mouth of Truth) at the entrance. 

Valentine’s Day is one of those festivities which are often seen as being imported from abroad and have taken root in Italy, whereas they actually originated in Italy as a religious cult, just like the one of Father Christmas (Santa Claus is San Nicola, whose relics are kept in Bari). 

READ ALSO: Wine, masks and debauchery: How did Italy’s Carnival tradition begin?

In the old days fervent Catholic Romans used to pay homage to Saint Valentine by gathering around the relic to pray for love and happiness. My aunt would visit the church at dawn and light candles, asking Saint Valentine to help her 36-year-old daughter find a decent man who could ‘take care of her’ before her mother passed away. 

I think in the future Valentine’s Day will only become further ingrained into modern Italian culture. The heart-shaped chocolates and jewels are now a part of tradition, but the original mysticism of the celebration will soon be totally forgotten. 

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