In depth
What it is
The Presepe animato della Pro Loco di Santarcangelo, also known as Il presepe delle memorie, is a mechanical and animated Christmas nativity installation set up every year in Santarcangelo di Romagna, in the province of Rimini. It is located in the exhibition hall at via Dante di Nanni 14, in the town centre. The work, created by set designer Marco Fantini, does not only depict the Nativity but reconstructs in miniature the historic piazza Monache, interweaving the nativity tradition with the memory and characters of Santarcangelo. The installation is promoted by the Pro Loco di Santarcangelo as part of the town's Christmas events.
What makes it special
What makes this nativity scene unique is its dual register: alongside the Nativity grotto, the mechanical installation brings to life an entire corner of the town, piazza Monache, with views reproducing the Campanone, the old convent, Porta Cervese and the historic stamperia Marchi. Among the moving figures are characters genuinely connected to Santarcangelo's history and culture: the writers and poets Tonino Guerra, Raffaello Baldini and Nino Pedretti, the local historian Federico Moroni, the blacksmith Alfonso Giorgetti and the storyteller Lorenzo de Antiquis, conceived as a tribute to the traditional Fiera di San Martino. One element that distinguishes this nativity scene from many others is its dedication: the entire installation is dedicated to Giuliana Rocchi, a Santarcangelo poet known as the poetess of the neighbourhoods, depicted in a statue created by artist Davide Sapigna. It is therefore a mechanically animated nativity scene, with several moving figures, set up not in a church but in an exhibition hall in the historic centre, designed to unite faith, popular memory and local identity.
Origins and history
The original core of this mechanical nativity scene was created in 2019 by Marco Fantini together with the Associazione Folclore Gambettolese. The work was then acquired by the Pro Loco di Santarcangelo, which inaugurated it on 8 December 2020 with a ceremony also streamed live on the municipal administration's social media channels. From the outset the nativity scene was conceived as a tribute to Giuliana Rocchi, the poetess of the neighbourhoods, whose lyrics in Romagnol dialect recounted the popular life of Santarcangelo. Over the years the installation has changed location several times within the town: it has been housed, among other places, at the Spazio Gallavotti on via Lauro De Bosis, before being presented, in more recent editions, in the exhibition hall at via Dante di Nanni 14. The sources consulted do not document in detail every move or any modifications to the scenes in different editions.
What to see
The visit unfolds as a small journey into yesterday's Santarcangelo. Beyond the Nativity scene, the eye falls upon a scale reconstruction of piazza Monache, with the Campanone, the walls of the old convent and Porta Cervese as a backdrop, together with the stamperia Marchi, a historic local establishment. Thanks to the mechanisms that animate the figures, the characters seem to come to life: the blacksmith at work in his workshop, the storyteller entertaining passers-by during the Fiera di San Martino, and the portraits of intellectuals and poets who have marked local culture, from Tonino Guerra to Raffaello Baldini and Nino Pedretti, alongside the figure of historian Federico Moroni. At the heart of the narrative remains the statue dedicated to Giuliana Rocchi, a work by Davide Sapigna, which links the entire nativity scene to the memory of the poetess.
When and how to visit
The nativity scene is set up every year during the Christmas period, generally from early December until Epiphany. The opening hours of the exhibition hall at via Dante di Nanni 14 are not precisely indicated in the sources consulted, so it is advisable to check them directly with the Pro Loco di Santarcangelo or with the IAT tourist office before visiting. In past editions of this installation admission has always been free. For updated information on opening days and hours for the current edition it is best to contact the Pro Loco di Santarcangelo or the municipal tourist office.
