In depth
What it is
The living nativity scene of Castelluccio is a representation of the Nativity that brings to life, during the Christmas period, the mountain village of Castelluccio, a hamlet of the municipality of Alto Reno Terme, in the Bolognese Apennines. The initiative takes place in the setting of Castello Manservisi, a neo-Gothic style residence that for the occasion becomes the centre of a wider Christmas programme, also including an exhibition of nativity scenes in the castle's rooms and a trail of nativity scenes set up in the village streets.
What makes it special
What makes this nativity scene particularly special is above all its setting: the towers, pointed arches and wrought iron of Castello Manservisi, built at the end of the nineteenth century on a spur at 811 metres altitude, provide a medieval backdrop to the Nativity scene. The castle also houses the ethnographic museum LabOrantes, which preserves a rare nativity scene of popular sacred art dating back to the seventeenth century. Among the other attractions of the Christmas programme are the arrival of Father Christmas, who appears from the castle battlements to the children, markets, readings of Christmas stories and a themed escape room.
Origins and history
The castle overlooking the nativity scene originated from an older building that belonged to the counts Nanni Levera. In 1886 it was purchased by Alessandro Manservisi, a tailor from Bologna, who transformed it into a neo-Gothic style residence with towers and arches, employing stonemasons and blacksmiths from the valley. For about twenty years the villa was a holiday resort for Bologna's intellectuals, then it became a colony that welcomed poor children from the city until 1988. Since then it has passed to ASP Città di Bologna and, for about a decade, has been managed as a cultural centre by Associazione Castello Manservisi. Available public sources do not document precisely when the living representation of the Nativity was born in this form: it is known that the castle has organised, for years in December, a competitive exhibition of nativity scenes, more recently accompanied by the living staging.
What to see
During the initiative you can follow the representation of the Nativity with costumed performers, visit the castle rooms set up with nativity scenes of various kinds brought by those participating in the exhibition, stroll along the trail of nativity scenes scattered throughout the village of Castelluccio and discover the seventeenth-century nativity scene kept in the LabOrantes museum. The programme also includes Christmas markets, a workshop for writing letters to Father Christmas, readings for children and, near Christmas Eve, the appearance of Father Christmas from the castle walls.
When and how to visit
The initiative is traditionally held during the Christmas period, with the exhibition and nativity scene trail normally active from 8 December to 6 January and the living representation concentrated on a specific date in December: in the most recent known edition it took place on 21 December 2025. Opening times and admission arrangements are not published in a stable way online and must therefore be checked from year to year; some side activities, such as the escape room, require booking. For updated information it is advisable to contact Castello Manservisi directly or consult its official channels before visiting.
