EVERY YEAR, AT CHRISTMAS, THE NATIVITY SCENE ENCHANT YOUNG AND OLD. OVER TIME THEY HAVE BECOME REAL ATTRACTIONS, SO MUCH THAT MANY ITALIAN TOWNS HAVE RECOVERED THEIR OWN TRADITION AND, ENHANCING USUALS, CUSTOMS AND TERRITORIES, OFFER TRULY SPECIAL CRIBS
It is impossible not to see it, even from afar. In
Manarola , in the Cinque Terre, in Liguria, there is a luminous crib with a thousand suggestions. Every year, from 8 December onwards, the hill of Manarola is filled with
17,000 light bulbs and more than 300 life-size figurines (prepared with
unused or recycled materials), which the artist Mario Andreoli personally builds. In 2008 the nativity scene also became ecological, thanks to the construction of a special photovoltaic system.
It is a unique work of its kind, so much so that it is included in the Guinness Book of Records.
On the other hand, there are several living nativity scenes up and down the peninsula, and some of the most spectacular are certainly those of
Greccio, Matera and Alberobello . The first boasts origins in the first living nativity scene in history, given that the oldest representation of the nativity was organized in 1223 by San Francesco d'Assisi right here. To the saint, Greccio reminded Bethlehem, and thus expressed the desire to celebrate Christmas night in these places. Since 1972, the living nativity scene has been set up by the Pro Loco of the small town in the province of
Rieti, with 6 living paintings where every detail is meticulously taken care of, from the costumes of the time, borrowed from the Teatro dell'Opera in Rome, to the scenography, made even more magical by the beauty of the places.
Matera is already in itself a stage of great charm. The re-enactment of the living nativity scene unwinds over
3 kilometers and sees the participation of over 450 figures . Among the caves dug into the tuffaceous rock and framed by Christmas lights and decorations, visitors will take a dip in the Galilee, among shepherds, the Magi and children dressed as angels. With the opportunity to taste the specialties of Basilicata.
It is the trulli of
Alberobello (this year from 26 to 29 December), a UNESCO heritage site in the province of Bari, that host a third noteworthy living nativity scene. The area becomes a magical nineteenth-century landscape, illuminated by torches and oil lamps. More than 200 extras stage the daily life of the ancient villages through the artisanal and rural trades of the past, inside about 30 'casedde', normally abandoned and reopened for the occasion.
Admission to the crib is free, but reservations are required . Even the materials become a starting point for the creation of the nativity scenes.
The largest ice nativity scene in Italy, for example, is in
Umbria, in Massa Martana . This year will be dedicated to a historic cover of the Domenica del Corriere of 1 January 1967, on which Pope John XXIII was depicted in adoration before the Holy Family. To make this original 13 square meter nativity scene, more than 30 quintals of ice will have to be sculpted. We move to
Sardinia, to Olmedo , in the province of Sassari: here every year the artistic bread crib is created, made in the suggestive Romanesque church of Nostra Signora di Talia.
The figurines of the nativity scene made of bread are real works of art in which the pasta , although not edible so that it is preserved over time, still remains the raw material.
Finally, the water. In the
Alta Val d'Ossola , in the heart of the Piedmontese Alps, the 5th edition of Cribs on the water takes place. Dozens of nativity scenes and handcrafted installations between tradition and experimentation, with
water as a common denominator : the water of seventeenth-century stone fountains; the water of ancient washhouses, meeting places for women of the past; the water of streams which also become natural frames for the cribs of Crodo. Still water. Place of arrivals and departures, the city of Comacchio, in the province of Ferrara, offers a Christmas full of traditions. The charm of the lagoon in winter offers unusual Christmas atmospheres, thanks to the canals and Santa Claus on the boat or by bicycle along the banks around the valleys. The bridges of the city, under their arches, welcome the nativity, transforming themselves into a singular refuge for the nativity scenes on the water. And then fireworks, choirs and puppet shows.
Finally, those who are fond of nativity scenes and craftsmanship cannot fail to go to via San Gregorio Armeno,
the picturesque street of nativity scenes in Naples, famous throughout the world for the countless artisan shops dedicated to the art of nativity scenes. An experience to live all year round.
