Putting Up the Presepio

The Presepio is up !

We are a little late, since serious enthusiasts of the Italian presepio (Christmas creche) will tell you that the presepio must be up by December 8 (and be taken down 40 days after Christmas).

But we have a little excuse : we were in Naples, watching artisans making creche figures (almost none are the Holy Family.)  But now it is up, with some welcome new acquisitions, and the children are busy making tiny buffalo mozzarelle for the market, and miniature bananas for the donkeys to nibble.  Our presepio we love in part because it spans 90 years of Italian presepio making tradition.

Please watch for our special Blog this week on a remarkable artisan who is a luminary of the Neapolitan popular presepio making world.

We spent a morning with him in his laboratorio, and then an afternoon admiring 1,286 of his figures. Spaccanapoli, the street of the presepio makers, and the enjoyment of a Neapolitan espresso and flakey sfogliatella, ended a close to perfect day. Watch this space !