ITALY
Nativity Fairs in Italy
The nativity scene tradition started in Italy, at Greccio in 1223, and Italians have never stopped making them. A street in Naples is devoted to it all year, Bologna holds a fair that goes back to the 16th century, and Saint Francis’s village still sells nativity figures every Advent.
Naples: a street, not a fair
Via San Gregorio Armeno is the most famous nativity address in the world, and you won’t find it on any calendar, because it’s a place, not an event. It’s a street in the historic center of Naples lined with workshops, open all year, that have made and sold Neapolitan pastori (nativity figures) since the 18th century. Its history is on the nativity in Italy.
From mid-November to Epiphany, the street shifts into high gear: extra stalls, one-way foot traffic, and crowds you have to see to believe. The workshops are open roughly 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., later in December.
A Neapolitan specialty that surprises visitors: alongside the traditional figures, the workshops make figures of the year’s newsmakers every year (soccer players, politicians, singers, and the occasional American president). It’s part of the tradition, not just something for tourists: the Neapolitan nativity has always surrounded the Nativity with the world of its own day. See the Neapolitan nativity.
Bologna, the Fiera di Santa Lucia
November 21 to December 26, 2026, under the Portico dei Servi, Strada Maggiore 43. The Bologna tourist office has confirmed these dates.
The fair goes back to the late 16th century; tradition links it to Pope Gregory XIII, a Bologna native, and a relic of Saint Lucy. It’s often called the oldest Christmas market in Italy. You’ll find figures, decorations, candles and sweets, all under one of the city’s most beautiful covered walkways, which also takes care of the rain.
Free admission, open roughly 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Greccio, where it all began
In 1223, Francis of Assisi had a manger set up at Greccio, in the Lazio region, with an ox and a donkey, so the villagers could see the Nativity for themselves. It’s where the nativity tradition began, and we have a whole page on it: Greccio, 1223.
Today the village holds a Mostra Mercato del Presepio (an exhibition where things are for sale) on Advent weekends and then from December 21 to January 6, at Via Limiti Nord 17, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., free admission.
Don’t confuse it with Greccio’s presepe vivente, the living nativity acted out on the very spot, which is a performance rather than a market. Both happen during the same weeks.
Verona and Val Gardena
Verona hosts Presepi dal Mondo, which took over from the Rassegna Internazionale del Presepio, from mid-November to mid-January at the Palazzo del Capitanio. It’s an exhibition, not a market: nothing is for sale, admission is €8, and it’s one of the largest gatherings of nativity scenes from around the world in one place. Despite the old name people still use, it’s no longer held in the Roman Arena.
Ortisei, in Val Gardena (Gröden in German), holds its Christmas village from November 28, 2026, to January 6, 2027. The valley is one of the world’s great woodcarving centers, and you can buy its carved nativity figures right there. (Many of the carved Italian nativity sets sold in American Catholic gift shops come from this valley.) Open 4–7 p.m. on weekdays and 11 a.m.–7 p.m. on weekends, free admission. It’s a general Christmas market, but with a craft you won’t find anywhere else.
No date is guaranteed. This information comes from sources abroad that we can’t always double-check, and many cities only publish their schedule in the fall. Before you book a trip, check with the organizer.
Page current as of September 13, 2026.