The first ever nativity scene – Greccio, Lazio
St. Francis of Assisi is said to have created history’s first nativity scene on Christmas night in 1223 in the Rieti countryside, about 80 km north of Rome. The small village he chose, Greccio, is now known as the Franciscan Bethlehem for its tradition.
From November 29th to January 6th, the medieval town will be full of presepe displays.
Made from 30 tonnes of ice – Massa Martana, Perugia
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.
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This year’s 10-square-meter ice nativity scene is dedicated to Carlo Acutis, the millennial saint canonized in 2025.
The striking display will be available for viewing from December 6th to January 6th.
100 international nativities – Vatican City
Every year, St. Peter’s Square is famously decorated with 100 nativity scenes of all types from across the world.
The presepe are submitted by all sorts of individuals and organizations, from foreign embassies to school children.
As per tradition, the baby Jesus will be added to the scene by the pope himself on Christmas Eve.
The free display is open from December 8th to January 6th.
Even more global presepe – Verona
In a similar style to the Vatican’s nativity display, Verona exhibits hundreds of presepe from museums and artisans around the world.
The presepe will be on display from November 16th to January 18th. Tickets are required and can be purchased on-site.
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The world's largest – Manarola, 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 lighting up the slope of the Hill of the Three Crosses.
The lightning opening ceremony will take place on December 7th this year. The 2025 program hasn’t been announced yet, but in past years, there has been an afternoon gospel concert at the Church of San Lorenzo in Manarola, and the nativity scene is lit around sundown to a backdrop of fireworks.
The free spectacle usually stays lit up through mid-January.
Made of sand – Jesolo, Venice
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.
This year, the sand sculptures are dedicated to Saint Francis’ Canticle of the Creatures, celebrating the interconnectedness of people and the natural world.
The spectacle is free to view, though guided tours are available at a cost.
The sculpture will occupy Piazza Brescia from November 29th to February 8th.
A life-sized diorama – Mosso, Piedmont
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.
This year’s edition of the Presepe Gigante di Marchetto begins on November 30th with a Christmas market to inaugurate the nativity.
The presepe and a Christmasy kilometre-long pedestrian path to walk will be freely open to the public every day from 10am to 10pm until January 11th.
A live nativity – Matera
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.
The Matera nativity runs the four weekends (Saturday and Sunday) of December and the first weekend of January. Tickets are available for online purchase.
Neapolitan style – Naples
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.
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 and politicians that the artisans slip in there too.
On the water – Cesenatico, Emilia-Romagna
The "floating nativities" of the port town of Cesenatico, Emilia-Romagna, are the only ones of their kind in the world. The boats display around 50 life-size statues throughout the Christmas season, 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.
The lights of the marine nativity scene will light up on November 30th and shine through January 11th.
...and under it – Laveno-Mombello, Lake Maggiore
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.
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