Nativity scene
Italian name: Mostra di presepi di San Matteo della Decima
A collection of nativity scenes displayed at the Civic Center of the Decima hamlet in San Giovanni in Persiceto, curated by Ombretta Scagliarini during the Bologna Christmas celebrations.
Dates are those announced by the organisers and may change: always check the official site of the event before you leave.
From the airport, the station or your hotel: a driver takes you to the entrance and picks you up at the end. Fixed price, book online in two minutes.
Book your transferService by Romagna Transfer. Their site opens.
Nativity scene exhibition
The exhibition brings together several nativity scenes set up in the rooms of the Centro Civico di Decima, curated by Ombretta Scagliarini. It's a village exhibition, designed for the weeks from the Immaculate Conception to Epiphany. It remains open from 8 December to 6 January.
The edition number is not published: it is held every year at Christmas.
Centro Civico di Decima
via Cento 158, 40017 San Matteo della Decima, San Giovanni in Persiceto (BO)
It's located in the hamlet of San Matteo della Decima, northwest of Bologna, along via Cento, the main road that runs through the village. Look for the Centro Civico di Decima, which hosts the hamlet's community activities.
No car, or late in the evening after your visit: a driver takes you right to the nativity scene and back to your hotel.
Book your transferInformation gathered from public sources (parishes, local associations, town halls, local press) about the last edition: check dates and hours on the official site before you set off.
The Mostra di presepi di San Matteo della Decima is a Christmas exhibition held every year at the Centro Civico in the hamlet of San Matteo della Decima, in the municipality of San Giovanni in Persiceto, in the Bologna plains. The exhibition is curated by Ombretta Scagliarini and is part of the calendar of events that the municipality offers with the programme "Natale a Persiceto e Decima". In the latest edition it opened from 8 December to 6 January, covering the period from the Immaculate Conception to Epiphany, the weeks when nativity scenes are traditionally set up and visited in Italy.
Unlike many nativity scenes housed in churches or grottoes, this exhibition is held in a civic space, the Centro Civico in via Cento, the heart of the hamlet's community life: a choice that makes it an opportunity for the community to come together rather than a private devotion. It is an exhibition personally curated by Ombretta Scagliarini, a sign of a work of collection and arrangement that is renewed year after year. The available public sources do not report precise data on the number of nativity scenes displayed, on the techniques, materials or dimensions of the works: those wishing to know these details can ask the curator or the Culture and Tourism office of the municipality before visiting.
The public sources consulted do not document precisely the year the exhibition was founded nor the circumstances of its conception: it is therefore not possible to state with certainty how long Ombretta Scagliarini has been curating it nor how it has changed over time. It is nonetheless an established appointment in the Christmas calendar of San Giovanni in Persiceto, which every year accompanies the initiatives of the historic centre of Persiceto (illuminations, markets, concerts, the Christmas train) with an offering specifically dedicated to the hamlet of Decima, keeping alive a popular tradition, that of the nativity scene, deeply rooted in the communities of Emilia Romagna.
In the rooms of the Centro Civico visitors find a collection of nativity scenes of different workmanship, assembled and staged by Ombretta Scagliarini: representations of the Nativity which, as in many exhibitions of this kind in the small towns of the Bologna plains, range between artisan and popular styles. As no public technical sheets on the arrangement are available, it is not possible to anticipate with certainty how many nativity scenes are displayed or which materials have been used. The setting remains nonetheless the simple and familiar one of a village civic centre, far from the scenic arrangements of the big cities but close to the authentic spirit of the festivities of Decima.
The exhibition traditionally covers the Christmas period, from the Immaculate Conception to Epiphany: in the most recent edition it was open from 8 December to 6 January. The Centro Civico di Decima, at via Cento 158/a, normally observes opening hours to the public from Monday to Saturday from 8:30 to 13:30, but during the exhibition period special hours or openings for visitors may be arranged: it is advisable to check with the Culture and Tourism office of the municipality of San Giovanni in Persiceto or with the organiser before going. No public information is available on an admission ticket. For updates on dates and times of the next edition it is best to consult the municipality's channels and the "Natale a Persiceto e Decima" programme.
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