In depth
What it is
The mechanical nativity scene of the Basilica di San Francesco is one of the best-known and most visited Christmas cribs in Bologna. Every year, during the Christmas period, the cloister of the Franciscan basilica hosts a large motorised nativity scene that recreates the Nativity with animated scenes, lights and Christmas music, alongside a small charity market. It is located in the heart of the city, between piazza Malpighi and piazza San Francesco, and is a classic stop on Bologna's Christmas walks, especially popular with families with children.
What makes it special
Unlike a static nativity scene, this is a mechanical crib: large statues, about a metre tall, move thanks to a system of motors and gears that animate shepherds, animals and figures from the Adoration of the Magi scene. The sky in the background gradually passes from day to night with lighting effects, whilst the comet appears above the scene, all accompanied by Christmas music playing in the cloister. The setting is unusual: not a church or an ordinary square, but the historic cloister of the basilica, which each year also hosts a small charity market under the porticoes.
Origins and history
The technique used to build the nativity scene derives from the work of fra Giovanni Lambertini (1916-1997), a Conventual Franciscan friar who from the 1950s created some of the first animated cribs in Romagna, in Faenza, then introducing the first movement mechanisms in the Ravenna nativity scene from 1954. In 1966 Lambertini met don Galileo Macori, a pioneer of mechanical nativity scenes, and adopted his technical solutions in his own installations, including the one in the cloister of San Francesco in Bologna. The large statues, about a metre tall, were created by the Faenza sculptor Enrico Graziani Dalmonte based on models designed by Macori. After Lambertini's death in 1997, the installation has been maintained over the years by some young set designers who have carried on his legacy, renewing each edition with new details. Not all phases of subsequent renovations have been precisely documented.
What to see
At the centre of the scene is the Adoration of the Magi, with the Nativity surrounded by shepherds and animals that move slowly, bringing the crib to life. The backdrop depicts a landscape that passes from day to night through a gradual lighting system, until the appearance of the Christmas star. Each year the installation is renewed with some new detail to discover, and the visit is accompanied by Christmas music. Next to the nativity scene, under the porticoes of the cloister, there is also a small charity market.
When and how to visit
The nativity scene is set up every year during the Christmas period, usually from mid-December to Epiphany on 6 January. In the last documented edition it was open from 14 December to 6 January, with opening times 9am-12pm and 3.30pm-6.30pm. Admission is free, with a voluntary donation to support the activities of the basilica and the charity market. For dates and times of the current edition it is advisable to check the basilica's channels before visiting, as they have not yet been confirmed with certainty.
