Via San Gregorio Armeno is also known as Christmas Alley. Here, in downtown Naples, you can find everything you need to complete your presepio or nativity scene. Although St. Francis of Assisi is credited with bringing the first reenactment of the night Jesus was born to the people in 1223, it was originally a live performance.
The presepio has since evolved into an art form in Naples where they are unique in Italy because Joseph, Mary and Jesus are joined by singers, actors, politicians, football players, all aspects of daily life are represented. Some families go so far as to rebuild their presepio every year and each year it becomes richer, replicating the changes in the times and in the lives of the families it belongs to.
The backgrounds are varied, some are ships, some homes, some entire towns, many with working fountains, electric lights and moving parts. The figures and pieces you can buy to inhabit and embellish are endless encompassing all aspects of both modern and ancient life and they vary in quality from plastic to hand made terra-cotta faces with robes of period fabrics.
Most churches, museums and town centers have elaborate displays during the Christmas season and we enjoyed viewing them. The detail is incredible and they are very unique.
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Presepi
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Christmas Alley
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ships
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one of the many shops selling figures of various sizes
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backdrops for your nativity scene
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Smaller figures here
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Politicians, actors, sports heroes. Notice President Bush with a bomb in his hand and Osama Bin Laden on an elephant. We also saw Osama in a cage, his body a skeleton.
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