The most beautiful Christmas nativity scene in Tuscany will for sure be the one in Manarola, in the Cinque Terre territory on the Tre Croci hill by the hand of Marco Andreoli, a retired railroad worker, that for the 32nd year in a row has built a nativity scene using scrap materials. The lighting for the scene is provided by a solar system that provides electricity to light up 300 characters of the scene.
Whether you believe in it or not the magic of the Nativity scene lives strong. Even more when skillful artisans or whole communities give life to realistic mechanized and fully lit scenes.
The Nativity Scene at Il Borro
In Tuscany everyone remembers the one by Don Pasquale Mencattini. He started building it in 1941 in the Borro hamlet in San Giustino Valdarno: still today we can admire the characters, the mechanism, the landscape, the lights invented and built by Don Pasquale.
In Cigoli, in the San Miniato area near Pisa, from 9 am to 8,30 pm everyone can admire the artistic nativity scene that is most visited in Tuscany. The scene is 80 square meters, set in the Palestine of 2008 years ago, through a route that leads visitors to the nativity cave (if you would like more info please call +39 0571 49552).
Narrated scenes and live soundtrack accompanies the visitors through the visit of the multimedia nativity scene in Bientina near Pisa in the San Domenico church. The scene will be available from Sunday the 14th of December. Each day-cicle is described in a 7 minutes presentation. (for more info +39 346 2317851)
Not to be missed are those towns entirely dedicated to nativity scenes, which provide itineraries and exhibits to their visitors. From tomorrow December 13th Foiano will open its five nativity scenes made by its 5 contrade (districts).
Le Piastre is another town on the Montagna Pistoiese (Pistoiese Mountain) where you will find 100 nativity scenes, one of which in Vergaio (the town of Benigni) in a secular chestnut woods. Here you will be able to taste the necci and other local products (more information at +39 340 5954424).
In Palazzuolo sul Senio, in the Mugello area near Florence you will discover every corner of the town decorated with nativity scenes of any kind. And finally in San Ugo Valdarno you will find the Natale nel Mondo (Christmas in the world) in the Pellegrini chapel in Maria SS. delle Grazie where is displayed a large nativity scene made of glassed terracotta by the Tuscan artist Marco Bonechi, who got his inspiration from the Della Robbia. With his opera are present many other artistic nativities of any kind from all over the world. The exhibit is open from 4 to 7 pm, and also from 10 am to 1 pm during holidays and sundays 9 (more information at: www.natalenelmondo.it).
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October 5th, 2009 at 16:30
Super post, Need to mark it on Digg.
October 8th, 2009 at 08:13
Haha, great post..Thanks man.
October 8th, 2009 at 08:58
And I thank you Christina! Just some home made scenes you should have fun doing with your family…send me pics if you do yours this year!