In depth
What it is
The Rassegna del Presepio di San Giovanni in Monte is a Christmas exhibition held every year in the monumental loggia of the ancient church of San Giovanni in Monte, in the heart of Bologna's historic centre, at via Santo Stefano 27. It is organised by the Bologna branch of the Associazione Italiana Amici del Presepio (AIAP) and brings together, along the staircase and under the arches of the loggia, dozens of nativity scenes created by artisans and enthusiasts from the city and province. It is not a single nativity scene but a true competitive exhibition: each work bears the signature of a different nativity scene maker and is compared with the others, in a route that the public can admire free of charge throughout the Christmas period.
What makes it special
What makes this exhibition particularly special is first and foremost its setting: the works are not gathered in a single room, but distributed along the monumental loggia and staircase of the church, a historic place that until the nineteenth century also housed the city prison. The dozens of nativity scenes on display, around thirty in recent editions, are made with different techniques and materials, terracotta, wood, ceramic, papier-mâché, following the tradition of the Bolognese nativity scene, which differs from the Neapolitan one in its use of figurines modelled with moulds and painted entirely in terracotta, without cloth clothing. At the end of the route visitors receive a card to vote for their favourite nativity scene, in a popular competition that over the years has collected more than twelve thousand votes in a single edition.
Origins and history
The exhibition is promoted by the Bologna branch of the Associazione Italiana Amici del Presepio, founded at national level in 1953 as the first Italian association and magazine dedicated exclusively to the art of nativity scenes. The Bologna event reached its thirty-first edition with the 2025/2026 season, which would place its start around the mid-1990s; however, the sources consulted do not report a precise founding date nor the name of who conceived it, so this detail remains undocumented with certainty. The exhibition is nonetheless rooted in a much older and documented artisan tradition: since the sixteenth century Bologna has been a centre of sculptors and figurine makers who sold nativity scene statuettes at the city's Christmas markets, such as the one at Santa Lucia. Over the years the exhibition in the loggia of San Giovanni in Monte has grown, adding to the competition an inauguration with the city's religious authorities and moments of Christmas music, whilst always maintaining the same venue.
What to see
Walking through the loggia and staircase of the church, visitors find dozens of nativity scenes of different styles and sizes, from the most classic dioramas with the Nativity to more elaborate scenographies that recreate landscapes, villages and workshops. The figurines, often in painted terracotta following Bolognese iconography, coexist with creations in wood, ceramic and papier-mâché, the result of the work of artisans and families of nativity scene makers who have carried on the tradition for generations. The atmosphere is accompanied by Christmas music, and the entire loggia, part of the monumental complex of the ancient church of San Giovanni in Monte, offers an architectural setting of great evocative power for the exhibition.
When and how to visit
The exhibition is held every year during the Christmas period, traditionally from early December to Epiphany. In the most recent edition, the thirty-first, it was open from 6 December 2025 to 6 January 2026, with opening hours 10am-1pm and 3pm-7pm on weekdays and continuous hours 10am-7pm on Saturdays and public holidays. For future editions the dates and times may change by a few days, so it is always best to check them before visiting. Admission is free. The venue is located in the loggia of the church of San Giovanni in Monte, at via Santo Stefano 27, in the historic centre of Bologna, easily reached on foot from the city centre streets.
