In depth
What it is
The Lido Adriano nativity scene is a mechanical and animated crib set up every year in the garden of the parish of San Massimiliano Kolbe, at viale Manzoni 381, in Lido Adriano, a coastal hamlet of the municipality of Ravenna. It is organised by the association Amare Lido Adriano APS in collaboration with the parish and is part of the wider network of Christmas nativity scenes highlighted every year by the Municipality of Ravenna in the city districts and coastal localities.
What makes it special
It is a nativity scene of traditional design, with ceramic-style figures, but animated by mechanisms that move the characters and by a play of lights that alternates the daytime scene with the night-time one, accompanied by Christmas music. The display occupies several square metres, built by hand over time and originally made of polystyrene. Its distinctive feature lies above all in its story: it is a collective work of the local community, renewed and expanded edition after edition, open to visitors not in a church in the historic centre but in the garden of a parish in a seaside resort, designed to welcome both permanent residents and tourists present on the coast even out of season.
Origins and history
Available sources place the start of the work at about fifteen years ago, when a first core nativity scene was made of polystyrene by local volunteers. Over the years the display has been progressively expanded: mechanisms that animate the figures, the change of light between daytime and night-time scenes and a musical accompaniment have been introduced. In recent years the physical construction has been entrusted to the local firms Gli Artisti della Posa and B&C Costruzioni, which have been building it for six consecutive years, whilst coordination and promotion remain handled by the association Amare Lido Adriano APS together with the parish of San Massimiliano Kolbe, led in recent years by the parish priest don Mauro Marzocchi. The sources consulted do not report the name of a single original creator nor other details about the initial phase of the project; in Lido Adriano, in the same period, a different nativity scene is also set up, organised by the Pro Loco, in a roundabout not far away on viale Manzoni.
What you can see
In the display you will find the classic Nativity scene, with the grotto, the Holy Family, the shepherds and the animals, created with statues in traditional ceramic style and set in a hand-built landscape, with rocks and glimpses of everyday life of the time. Thanks to internal mechanisms some figures move, whilst the lighting changes to simulate the passage from day to night, in a play of lights accompanied by Christmas music. The nativity scene is placed outdoors, in the garden next to the church, in a simple and welcoming setting, designed to be viewed at leisure even by the youngest visitors.
When and how to visit
The nativity scene normally opens at the beginning of December and remains open until mid-January, throughout the Christmas period and up to Epiphany. In the last documented edition the opening was set from 10 December to 19 January, with hours from Monday to Friday from 11 am to 12 noon and from 4 pm to 6 pm, whilst on public holidays access follows Mass times. Admission is free; the organising association nonetheless recommends contacting them in advance to arrange the visit. For the dates and times of forthcoming editions it is advisable to check, as Christmas approaches, the information issued by the Municipality of Ravenna or by the parish, as the calendar and times may vary slightly from one year to another.
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