If there is one tradition that Naples lives all year round, it is the presepe, the nativity scene. We stopped in front of the workshops of the old town in the middle of August and found craftsmen at work on shepherd figurines, miniature houses and baskets of fruit no bigger than a fingernail. Here the nativity scene is not just a depiction of the Nativity: it is a whole world in miniature, with its people, its trades and its symbols.
The origins: from medieval churches
Naples' bond with the nativity scene is very old. As early as 1021 a notarial deed mentions the church of Santa Maria "ad praesepe". In 1340 Queen Sancia, wife of Robert of Anjou, gave a nativity scene to the Poor Clares, and in 1478 the brothers Giovanni and Pietro Alemanno created a nativity scene with wooden statues, twelve of which have survived to this day.
For centuries nativity scenes stayed mainly in churches and convents. The figures were carved in wood or modelled in terracotta, which from the sixteenth century became the most widely used material.
The eighteenth century, the golden age
The real turning point came in the eighteenth century, under the reign of Charles III of Bourbon. The nativity scene left the churches and entered aristocratic palaces, where families competed to stage the richest scenes. The figurines became true mannequins, with terracotta heads and hands, jointed bodies and hand-sewn fabric clothes.
Great sculptors also worked on modelling the faces, among them Giuseppe Sanmartino, perhaps the greatest Neapolitan sculptor of the century and the creator of the Veiled Christ. The result is a nativity scene that mixes the sacred with everyday life: next to the grotto appear markets, taverns, vendors and musicians, all dressed like the Neapolitans of the time.
The figures and the symbols
Every figure has a meaning, and discovering them is one of the pleasures of the Neapolitan nativity scene. Here are a few:
- Benino, the sleeping shepherd: according to tradition the nativity scene is his dream, and his awakening represents a rebirth.
- The tavern, which recalls the refusal to give lodging to Mary and Joseph and represents the vices of the world.
- Ciccibacco, linked to wine, a legacy of the ancient pagan gods.
- The well and the bridge, places of passage between the world of the living and that of the dead.
- The gypsy woman, who foretells the future and is considered the heir of the Sibyl.
- The vendors of the months, who personify the trades of the year, from January's butcher to December's fishmonger.
- The Three Kings, often riding a horse, a dromedary and an elephant, to indicate the continents they come from.
Where to see historic nativity scenes
The most famous is the Cuciniello nativity scene, displayed in the nativity section of the museum of the Certosa di San Martino: a large arrangement with around eight hundred pieces, donated to the museum by Michele Cuciniello himself. In front of its scenes, lit as if in a theatre, we lingered for a long time looking for details.
Another nativity scene not to be missed is the one at the Royal Palace of Caserta, which since 1988 has recreated the eighteenth-century court nativity scene. And of course there is the craftsmen's street, San Gregorio Armeno, where the workshops display traditional figurines next to statuettes of today's celebrities.
Getting there and when to go
San Gregorio Armeno is in the historic centre, a few steps from Via dei Tribunali, and can be reached on foot from the metro stations in the centre. The Certosa di San Martino is on the Vomero hill, served by the funiculars. The most evocative time is the run-up to Christmas, when the alleys fill with people: if you prefer to wander at a relaxed pace, go on a weekday or out of season. Check museum opening hours and tickets on the official website before you set off.
Nearby
For a stroll among the workshops read San Gregorio Armeno, the street of nativity scenes and, for the museum, Castel Sant'Elmo and the Certosa di San Martino. Continue with The Veiled Christ in Naples and with the other customs we describe in our article on famous Neapolitan traditions. The complete guide to the city is in Naples and its surroundings.
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