Nativity scene
Italian name: Presepe a grandezza naturale di Sant'Alberto
An outdoor nativity scene with life-size statues in Palestinian style, in the park of the church of Sant'Adalberto in Sant'Alberto di Ravenna: always visible, illuminated until midnight, free admission.
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.
Artistic nativity scene
This is an outdoor nativity scene with life-size statues, dressed and set in Palestinian style, depicting Palestine as imagined at the time of Christ. It is located in the park in front of the church and is maintained by the local community, with the Parish Group and the Pro Loco. You can see it from every side, at any time, and in the evening it remains lit until midnight.
Edition no. 28
Christmas 2026/27 · Dates to be confirmed
Last edition: no. 27, Christmas 2025/26.
Parco della Chiesa di Sant'Adalberto, piazza Garibaldi 12
Piazza Garibaldi, 12, 48122 Ravenna (RA)
You will find it in Sant'Alberto, a small hamlet of Ravenna along the river Reno. The nativity scene is in the park in front of the Chiesa Priorale di Sant'Adalberto, on the main square of the village.
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 transferFree admission
Information 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 life-size Nativity Scene of Sant'Alberto is an outdoor Christmas display set up in the park in front of the Chiesa Priorale di Sant'Adalberto, at piazza Garibaldi 12, in the small hamlet of Sant'Alberto, along the river Reno, in the municipality of Ravenna. Promoted every year by the Gruppo parrocchiale and the Pro Loco di Sant'Alberto, it is one of the classic stops on the nativity scene route of the Ravenna area, also featured in the Christmas guides of the Comune di Ravenna.
The distinctive feature of this nativity scene is the use of life-size statues, created in Palestinian style: the figures of the Nativity are dressed and set as one imagines Palestine at the time of Christ, not according to the customs of the Italian nativity tradition. The display occupies an outdoor green space, the park in front of the church, and not a grotto or an interior, and is designed to be seen even in the evening: it remains lit until midnight and is always visible, without opening or closing times tied to a building. It is also a nativity scene cared for directly by the local community, the result of collaboration between the parish and the Pro Loco, rather than a professional or paid display.
The available sources do not report a precise date of birth for this nativity scene nor the name of who first conceived it: it is an established and recurring appointment every December in Sant'Alberto, cared for jointly by the Gruppo parrocchiale and the Pro Loco, but its specific history is not documented in the official pages consulted. What is known instead is the context in which it was born: the hamlet of Sant'Alberto owes its name to the church dedicated to Sant'Adalberto, bishop of Prague martyred in 997, erected at the beginning of the 11th century together with a monastery by the will of Romualdo and Emperor Ottone III; the current parish, with the same saint as patron, was consecrated in 1894. It is in this place of ancient devotion that the community sets up the nativity scene every year, a sign of continuity with the religious identity of the village.
In the church park the visitor finds the Nativity scene composed of life-size statues: the Holy Family, the shepherds and other traditional figures, placed in a setting that recalls the landscapes and clothing of ancient Palestine. The display is outdoors, visible from every angle, and in the evening the lighting until midnight accentuates its atmosphere, making it a suggestive stopping point for those strolling through the small centre of Sant'Alberto during the holidays.
The nativity scene is set up every year during the Christmas period, traditionally from early December to mid-January: in the most recent edition it was visible from 8 December 2025 to 19 January 2026. It is always accessible, without opening hours, and remains lit until midnight; admission is free. For information you can contact the Pro Loco di Sant'Alberto, which together with the Gruppo parrocchiale takes care of the display. The dates of the current edition are not yet confirmed at the time of this sheet and should be verified on the channels of the Comune di Ravenna or the Pro Loco before visiting.
The photos belong to their respective owners or to whoever holds the rights, and are published under the licence shown below each image.
