“De La Penna” Nativity Scene
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“De La Penna” Nativity Scene

If you find yourself in the beautiful places of the Terni or Amerino area at Christmas, we suggest you visit Penna in Teverina and its peculiar artistic nativity scene.

It is located in Piazza San Valentino near the church of Santa Maria della Neve.

Its history originated in 1988, when a crib art enthusiast created some mobile statues for his private crib. Over the years, the crib grew and became an attraction for the village, so popular that, after ten years, it was displayed in the parish church. Subsequently, the “de la Penna” nativity scene was moved to a nearby and very evocative setting: passing through walls carved into the rock and down a flight of steps made of ancient bricks, one arrives at the fascinating heart of this artistic creation.

The nativity scene today consists of about 200 statuettes, real miniature masterpieces of which 140 are moving ones, arranged over an area of about 30 square metres. There are numerous effects, such as those using about 300 litres of water to recreate moving seas and rivers with rising fog, but also rain or snow falling on the mountain tops.

Scene of the Nativity in the moving nativity scene in Penna in Teverina with Joseph, the Virgin Mary and baby Jesus next to the ox and donkey

The Nativity Scene

Entrance to the “de La Penna” nativity scene with the half-open doors giving a glimpse of the steps carved into the rock

The entrance to the nativity scene

A scene from the moving nativity scene at La Penna set at the time when Jesus was born

A scene from the crib

Another special feature concerns the sky: no fewer than 512 stars are projected onto the vault in the exact position assumed by the constellations on Christmas night when the nativity took place.

Over time, the nativity scene has aroused the interest not only of the inhabitants of Penna in Teverina and tourists, but also of celebrities: the music that can be heard during the visit was written by Riccardo Cocciante as a Christmas gift to this small Umbrian village.

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