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This is the time of year you will see all over Italy beautifully made and arranged "Scenes of the birth of Jesus". You find ones fitting in a math box and huge ones with life-size figures in a stable with Maria, Josef, the three kings, the ox, the angel?s etc. In Italy the nativity scene is called ?presepe? or plural "presepio".

The construction and display of a "presepe" can be a source of great local pride and there are stories about great rivalry between different areas. (Comparable with the commotion around carnival, but yes, the Italian passion) Many churches and most communities will have presepio on show, often with life-size figures and with an unbelievable eye for detail. The value of the figures, statues, dresses etc. on show is in most cases considerable.

It is said the tradition began in Italy with St. Francis of Assisi in 1223. Although he may not have been the first to make one, in the sense of the way we know them nowadays, but he started the tradition when he constructed a nativity scene out of straw in a cave in the town of Greccio and held Christmas Eve mass there.

Also "presepi viventi" are found with costumed people acting out the parts of the nativity. The living nativity scenes are present several days, usually Christmas Day and Boxing Day. Sometimes the following weekend and around the time of Epiphany; January 6 and the 12th day after Christmas, when the three Wise Men came and gave Baby Jesus their gifts.

In Florence it is the same story, everywhere you walk, you will find the most unbelievable and beautiful "Presepio". So put on your walking shoes and take care you are well rested, because you can go from presepe to presepe, all day long. In the meantime Florence has so much to offer these days; unique attractions, most of them hundreds and hundreds of years old, you can't stop to be surprised. Take along your camera; there are many pictures to be taken in this gorgeous city.

If you got the taste of presepio

There is an exhibition held in the crypt of the church of Santa Croce from December 12th to January 30th. The exhibition will display over hundred "presepio" from all over the world. They are made of all kind of different materials and range from small to huge. You find a German crystal "presepio" next to an ebony one from Senegal. The Basilica of Santa Croce is a wonderful gracious church and dominates the entire square with is bearing the same name. It was constructed between 1295 and 1443 on the site of an earlier Franciscan oratory, built in 1225, when Saint Francis was still alive and it is said he came for a visit, but this is doubtful. Arnolfo di Cambio, the brilliant architect of the City Council (Signoria) was entrusted with enlarging the church in 1252 and almost immediately after finishing, the city commissioned him to construct the new Cathedral and the "Palazzo della Signoria".

The facade dates from the 19th century and was carried out by architect Niccol Matas between 1857 and 1863. A statue of Dante Alighieri stands beside the church, on the corner with "Via San Giuseppe". Also the bell tower is recent; it was reconstructed by Gaetano Baccani between 1847 and 1865, after the original tower was struck by lightning.

Taddeo Gaddi's fresco at Santa Croce

A gate on the right of the Basilica leads into the first Cloister of the Convent, or the Cloister of the Dead, which contains the Pazzi Chapel and the Museum of the Opera of Santa Croce. Here we can find the Crucifix by Cimabue (which was seriously damaged by the flood of 1966) and the huge fresco by Taddeo Gaddi with the Last Supper.

Piazza Santa Croce

Piazza Santa Croce has traditionally always been used for important civic and religious events, because it is large enough to contain big crowds. This is where the Franciscan preachers, as well as St. Bernardino of Siena, during the plague of 1437, addressed the population. Carnival and May Day festivities were celebrated here, as well as tournaments, jousting and carousels, especially during the Renaissance. Also this winter the square is used for all kind of festivities.

For more information visit

• Presepi
• Museums in Florence