https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from Italy in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed One of the world's largest nativity scenes lights up the hilltop town of Manarola in Italy's famed Cinque Terre, joined this year by a statue honouring medics fighting the coronavirus crisis. https://www.thelocal.it/20201215/in-photos-magical-nativity-scene-lights-up-italys-cinque-terre-coast Tue, 15 Dec 2020 15:38:21 +0100 in-photos-magical-nativity-scene-lights-up-italys-cinque-terre-coast An Italian bishop has criticized a nativity scene set up on a square in Castenaso, a town near Bologna, for having a migrant dinghy in the middle of it. https://www.thelocal.it/20171205/italian-bishop-laments-nativity-scene-over-migrant-dinghy Tue, 05 Dec 2017 14:49:43 +0100 italian-bishop-laments-nativity-scene-over-migrant-dinghy Nativity scenes appear in homes, churches and public buildings across the country in December, each one a little different. But while they may be a staple of the Christmas season, there's nothing traditional about these quirky examples... https://www.thelocal.it/20161222/nativity-scenes-quirky-christmas-tradition-italy Thu, 22 Dec 2016 09:42:47 +0100 nativity-scenes-quirky-christmas-tradition-italy Nativity scene artisans in Italy have taken Pope Francis's social message to heart this Christmas, giving a bigger role to ordinary people in their work and reviving the tradition's simple origins. https://www.thelocal.it/20131211/pope-francis-statuettes-selling-like-hot-cakes Wed, 11 Dec 2013 09:25:00 +0100 pope-francis-statuettes-selling-like-hot-cakes In a bid to attract tourists to a coastal town in northern Italy, residents have launched a campaign to see an nativity scene installed on the seabed. https://www.thelocal.it/20130819/underwater-nativity-gets-go-ahead-from-town-mayor Mon, 19 Aug 2013 12:29:00 +0200 underwater-nativity-gets-go-ahead-from-town-mayor