Siena and its nativity scenes
The Christmas period brings cities to decorate their streets and squares with lights and Christmas trees, but the nativity scenes cannot be missing, which are set up both in churches and in squares.
The city of Siena is no exception, from the traditional nativity scene set up on track 1 of the railway station, to the life-size nativity scene of the church of the Osservanza, up to the nativity scene of the Sanctuary of Santa Caterina.
For us at Nannini, the magic of Christmas is precisely this, rediscovering the traditions of Siena. Between family dinners and traditional recipes, you can't help but admire the city of the Palio with its lights, but above all with its nativity scenes. That's why we would like to let you discover the many nativity scenes in the Sienese city.
The crib of the Duomo
From an idea born by the young people of the Parish of the Duomo in 1996, every year a nativity scene worthy of the beauty of the Siena Cathedral is created. Every year new volunteers and new materials are added to always create something new, to create a unique nativity scene each time.
The materials laboratory is located in the parish rooms and during these 24 years has seen the creation of giant comets, fountains, polystyrene walls etc.
The creation of the crib of the Cathedral it has become a real event to bring the people of the community together and create something magnificent that is admired by hundreds of people every year.
The life-size nativity scene of the church of the Osservanza
The church of the Osservanza is located on the Capriola hill in Siena and during the Christmas period it hosts the life-size nativity scene.
The parishioners of the Osservanza church set up the nativity scene in a scenic diorama, with life-size statues. This scenic nativity scene represents the nativity in all its magnificence.
In addition to the life-size nativity scene, smaller nativity scenes can be found at every corner inside the church of the Osservanza. These "minor" cribs are made of various materials, for example you can find a crib made of wood, another made of paper or ceramic, etc.
In Siena in the church of the Osservanza you can therefore find a Christmas atmosphere full of creativity, with various nativity scenes that stand out inside the church.
The crib of the Sanctuary of Santa Caterina
The Sanctuary of Santa Caterina is located in Siena on the Costa di Sant'Antonio and every year, during the Christmas period, a nativity scene is set up inside the Church of the Sanctuary.
The nativity scene set up in the church represents the Bethlehem grotto surrounded by a few statues and many angels. For twenty years, the preparation of the crib has been the task of Sister Maria Beatrice.
Before the nun made this nativity scene in its simplicity, which manages to transport the viewer into a perfect Christmas atmosphere, the nativity scene was taken care of by the Rector of the Sanctuary. The Rector liked to make the nativity scene artistic and for this reason he often called external people to help him create a truthful scenario.
The nativity scene of the Misericordia of Siena
The crib of the Misericordia of Siena is one of the most popular cribs in the city, above all thanks to its beauty and the attention to detail of all the elements that compose it. Every year this nativity scene is set up in the atrium of via del Porrione.
In this crib you can admire the alternation of day and night, so that you can also see the comet that from left to right plows through the sky represented in the crib to reach the hut where the statue of Jesus resides.
Admiring the nativity scene of the Misericordia of Siena, therefore, you can fully relive the Christmas atmosphere, admiring what the volunteers have created in the smallest details.
The nativity scene on track 1
Maybe it's a bit unusual for a nativity scene, but track 1 of the Siena train station has been hosting a beautiful nativity scene for years now.
The nativity scene on platform 1 is an XNUMXth-XNUMXth century style nativity scene and is enriched with over four hundred sound, light and movement effects.
The creation of this almost surreal nativity scene is due to Mr. Giancarlo Palazzi, who thanks to his imagination gave life to this work, which has been enriched more and more over the years.
These are some of the cribs that can be seen while visiting the city of Siena and perhaps between visits from one crib to another, you can stop to savor one of the typical Christmas sweets from us at Nannini.