La Via del Presepe (Mombaruzzo)
Over the Christmas holidays Mombaruzzo's old workers' society theatre becomes 'La Via del Presepe'. A seven-stage path tells the story of the town's Chiesetta del Presepio, alongside nativity scenes the villagers build inside wooden crates.
Why it's special
It brings back a nearly lost local tradition: the little Chiesetta del Presepio in the Bosco delle Sorti woods outside the village, once a favourite outing. Residents, schools and associations each make a nativity in a wooden crate. In 2024 there were also Saturday-afternoon talks, each on one detail of the crib.
Programme · 2024
The second edition, at the Teatro della Società Operaia (SOMS), open on Saturday and Sunday afternoons, 15:00–18:00. It added a new focus on angels: two extra stages on the path and art installations upstairs.
- It was open on Saturday and Sunday afternoons (15:00–18:00 in 2024) at the Teatro della Società Operaia.
- The organisers opened it at other times on request (Mariangela 333 663 7264, Monica 335 230 953).
- Afterwards, walk out to the real Chiesetta del Presepio in the Bosco delle Sorti.
Mombaruzzo has an old bond with the nativity that had almost faded. Just outside the village, in the protected woods of the Bosco delle Sorti, stands the little Chiesetta del Presepio, the nativity chapel. For generations it was the place families walked out to for a country outing. 'La Via del Presepe' began in December 2023 to bring that memory back.
Over the holidays the Teatro della Società Operaia, the old mutual-aid society's theatre in the centre of Mombaruzzo, holds a walk-through path. Its stages tell how the chapel came to be, how the crib began and who its figures are. Around it are the villagers' own nativities, each built inside a wooden crate by residents, the school and local associations from recycled and natural materials. The second edition added a theme of angels, with art installations upstairs. It also held Saturday-afternoon talks on a single detail of the crib, and the launch of a local historian's book on the chapel.
It's a small, home-made show, open on weekend afternoons, and a good reason to stop in Mombaruzzo for amaretti on the way through. Past editions are in the table above. It hasn't been confirmed for every year, so check before you go.
Past editions
| Year | Dates | Programme |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | December 2024 – 6 January 2025 (weekend afternoons) | The second edition, at the Teatro della Società Operaia (SOMS), open on Saturday and Sunday afternoons, 15:00–18:00. It added a new focus on angels: two extra stages on the path and art installations upstairs. Sat 21 December, 16:30 – talk: 'I mesi diventano mestieri ed il tempo ritorna' Sat 28 December, 16:30 – talk: 'Buio e Luce, Bene e Male, Restare o Andare' Sat 4 January, 16:30 – launch of Giuseppe Scaletta's book 'La Cappella del Presepio' Sun 5 January, 16:30 – talk: 'Oro incenso e mirra: i doni dei sapienti' |
| 2023 | 8 December 2023 – 7 January 2024 (weekend afternoons) | The first edition, at the Teatro della Società Operaia, open on Saturday and Sunday afternoons, 15:00–18:30. A seven-stage path on the history of the Chiesetta del Presepio and the meaning of the nativity 18 nativity scenes made by residents, schools and associations, each inside a wooden crate, from recycled and natural materials |