Nativity scenes are to be found in every home (and every church) at Christmas time. And through the centuries, in Italy the craft of carving Nativity characters has turned into an art of its own. In Friuli Venezia Giulia there's a long-standing tradition of presepe throughout the region and this year tourists will enjoy some beautiful presepes in many, pictoresque hamlets thanks to “Giro Presepi FVG”: the complete tour of Nativity scenes all around the region, with a dedicated website (presepifvg.it) and a detailed map. There you'll find all the presepes in Friuli, but a few of them are definitely worth mentioning and we'll tell you more about them... just read on!
A Facebook contest for the best presepe in Poffabro
In Poffabro, a district of Frisanco (near Pordenone), all the town trasforms itself into a Christmas scenery and you can find handmade presepes almost around every corner and on every windowsill, up to January 15: it's called “Poffabro, Presepe tra i Presepi” and there's also a contest!
Being the longest presepe-making tradition in Friuli, to celebrate the 25th edition of such an exhibit, Lis Aganis – Ecomuseo delle Dolomiti Friulane (Friulian Dolomites' Ecomuseum) launched the competition through their Facebook account. Scrolling through the photogallery, people can vote their favourite Nativity scene in townby clicking on the “Like” button (here) below each competing presepe. The contest was conceived by Frisanco's Municipality together with Ecomuseo Lis Aganis for the Dolomiti Days events.
A Facebook contest for the best presepe in Poffabro
In Poffabro, a district of Frisanco (near Pordenone), all the town trasforms itself into a Christmas scenery and you can find handmade presepes almost around every corner and on every windowsill, up to January 15: it's called “Poffabro, Presepe tra i Presepi” and there's also a contest!
Being the longest presepe-making tradition in Friuli, to celebrate the 25th edition of such an exhibit, Lis Aganis – Ecomuseo delle Dolomiti Friulane (Friulian Dolomites' Ecomuseum) launched the competition through their Facebook account. Scrolling through the photogallery, people can vote their favourite Nativity scene in townby clicking on the “Like” button (here) below each competing presepe. The contest was conceived by Frisanco's Municipality together with Ecomuseo Lis Aganis for the Dolomiti Days events.
A presepe made of... sand in Lignano Sabbiadoro
And though the beach is the least place where one might think to find some Christmas spirit, in Lignano Sabbiadoro (Udine) you'll be left speechless by the sight of a huge Nativity scene modelled with... sand. It's the 19th edition of “Presepe di Sabbia” and it's certainly a sight not to be missed if you're planning your Christmas holidays in Friuli.
This year's theme was inspired by the mosaics of the ancient Roman Basilica of Aquileia, and the whole sand project – developed by Lara Gonzo and by Maestro Mario Vittadello – aims at depicting the manifold origins of Christianity in the area. The “Presepe di Sabbia” is an original idea of the local association “Dome Aghe e Savalon d'Aur” and the 2022 sand creation was made in collaboration with Lignano Sabbiadoro's Municipality, Lignano Sabbiadoro Beach, Lignano Holiday and the association “Lignano In Fiore ONLUS”.
And though the beach is the least place where one might think to find some Christmas spirit, in Lignano Sabbiadoro (Udine) you'll be left speechless by the sight of a huge Nativity scene modelled with... sand. It's the 19th edition of “Presepe di Sabbia” and it's certainly a sight not to be missed if you're planning your Christmas holidays in Friuli.
This year's theme was inspired by the mosaics of the ancient Roman Basilica of Aquileia, and the whole sand project – developed by Lara Gonzo and by Maestro Mario Vittadello – aims at depicting the manifold origins of Christianity in the area. The “Presepe di Sabbia” is an original idea of the local association “Dome Aghe e Savalon d'Aur” and the 2022 sand creation was made in collaboration with Lignano Sabbiadoro's Municipality, Lignano Sabbiadoro Beach, Lignano Holiday and the association “Lignano In Fiore ONLUS”.
The sand presepe in Lignano
Made in... heaven: Presepe di Sutrio on display at the Vatican
The Vatican chose Friulian artisans for its 2022 presepe. The wooden Nativity scene on display in St. Peter's Square in Rome, up to Epiphany Day (January 6, 2023) is an astounding, collective creation carved in wood by 11 Friulian artists and it comes from Sutrio, in Carnia, a town where presepe's tradition is deeply rooted and strong.
Sutrio's Municipality actually offered to lend its presepe and in 2020 Vatican's Government officially accepted. It took two years to realize this incredible feat, a masterpiece weighing around 16.8 tons: 18 statues on display in a 116 square metres area, with the main characters set under a 5.65 metres-high dome. A totally sustainable project: the structure was made out of 24 cubic metres of larch wood, coming from certified Friuli Venezia Giulia's plant nurseries, while statues are of local felled cedar trees.
Sutrio's presepe in St. Peter's Square, at the Vatican
Stefano Comelli, artistic director of Presepe di Sutrio, along with artist Martha Muser, chiselled Baby Jesus' cradle into the roots of a tree that had been eradicated by the Vaia Storm. The other Friulian artists and artisans that helped create the magnificent presepe are: Arianna Gasperina from Porcia, Ermanno Plozzer from Sauris, friar GianniBordin from Rovigo, Corrado Clerici from Forni di Sopra, Andrea Caisutti from Percoto, Paolo Figar from Gorizia, Oleksander Shteyninher (an Ukrainian living in Feletto Umberto), Renato Puntel from Cleulis, Isaia Moro from Sutrio. The writing “Pax” was engraved in marble by Borchia Marmi based in Cercivento (Udine), and the underneath structure was made by Legnolandia in Forni di Sopra (Udine). The whole project was supported by Friuli Venezia Giulia Regional Government, PromoTurismo FVG together with Udine's Archdiocese.
Photo Credits:
Cover Photo: a Poffabro's presepe, taken from the official Lis Aganis' Facebook account
More Poffabro's presepes also taken from the official Lis Aganis' Facebook account
Photo of Presepe di Sabbia di Lignano taken from the official website
Photo &video of Presepe di Sutrio taken from the official Facebook account
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