In depth
What it is
In San Mauro Pascoli, in Romagna, the ancient cellars of Villa Torlonia, also known as La Torre, are transformed every Christmas into an artistic nativity scene made entirely of wood. The display occupies the underground spaces of the villa, the oldest part of the building, and is visited together with the Multimedia Museum that the villa hosts all year round. It is one of the most distinctive nativity scenes in the province of Forlì-Cesena, not so much for its size as for the place that houses it: a historic cellar, dark and silent, very different from a church or a square.
What makes it special
What makes this nativity scene unique is the environment in which it is set. The cellars of Villa Torlonia are not simply a service basement: they correspond to the foundations of the Castrum di Giovedìa, the ancient fortified settlement from medieval times on which the villa was built in subsequent centuries. Walking among the wooden carved Nativity statues means moving between brick walls and vaults that are almost a thousand years old, in an intimate and somewhat mysterious route that combines nativity art and archaeological stratification. The display is curated by Associazione la Torre, which has been responsible for the cultural activities of the villa for years, in collaboration with the municipal administration.
Origins and history
The history of the place hosting the nativity scene is very long. In Roman times the area was known as Giovedia, with a temple dedicated to Jupiter: local tradition has it that Julius Caesar stopped there to pray after crossing the Rubicon. In the Middle Ages a fortified castrum dominated by a tower developed there, from which the names Torre di Giovedìa and then simply La Torre derive. In 1578 the estate returned under the rule of the Church, in the Legazione di Romagna; at the end of the eighteenth century Pope Pius VI granted it to his nephew Luigi Onesti Braschi. In 1828 the property was purchased by the Roman prince Alessandro Torlonia, who installed as administrators first Giovanni Pascoli senior and then, from 1855, Ruggero Pascoli: the family of the poet Giovanni Pascoli moved to La Torre in 1862 and remained there until 1867, the year in which Ruggero was killed in an ambush that remained unsolved. In 1983 the Municipality of San Mauro Pascoli acquired the villa and promoted its restoration, transforming it into the current Parco Poesia Pascoli, home to a multimedia museum and cultural initiatives. Regarding the specific birth of the nativity scene tradition in the cellars, available sources do not report a precise date: it is known that it is reassembled every December by Associazione la Torre, as part of the town's Christmas programme.
What to see
Descending into the villa's cellars, between brick walls and low vaults, the route comes alive with the wooden carved figures of the Nativity: the Holy Family, the shepherds, the animals, recreated in a deliberately bare setting that lets the stone and wood speak more than the lights. The sources consulted do not indicate the exact number of statues. The nativity scene is part of the broader visit route of Villa Torlonia, which also includes the Multimedia Museum with its historic rooms, such as the Sala delle Tinaie, once linked to wine production, where sounds, words and images tell the story of La Torre and the Pascoli family's connection with these places.
When and how to visit
The nativity scene is set up every year during the Christmas period, generally starting from the Immaculate Conception: in the last edition it was inaugurated on 8 December and remained open until the first weeks of January, during the same opening hours as the Multimedia Museum of Villa Torlonia, in via II Martiri 2. The museum's winter hours provide for opening from Tuesday to Sunday from 9:30 to 12:30 and from 15:30 to 18:30, with closure on Mondays and on Christmas and New Year's Day and last admission one hour before closing. Admission is not free but is linked to the museum ticket: in the last edition the full ticket cost 6 euros, with free admission for children up to 10 years old, while a combined ticket with the Museo Casa Pascoli cost 8 euros and a family package for up to 5 people 25 euros. As this is data from a past edition, it is advisable to verify dates, times and prices of the current edition by contacting Parco Poesia Pascoli on 0541 936070 or at the email address parcopoesiapascoli@comune.sanmauropascoli.fc.it before visiting.
