L'Italo-Americano

L'Italo-Americano THURSDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2019 www.italoamericano.org 4 FRANCESCA BEZZONE NEWS & FEATURES TOP STORIES PEOPLE EVENTS Presepe Napoletano: a Christmas of art and passion T his time of the year Naples, along with Rome and Beth- lehem, is a bit at the centre of the world: Christmas is coming and, at least for the faithful, this is one of the most important moments of the year. For centuries, the image of the Holy Family inspired all kind of artists, from painters to musicians and poets, a true ideal of beauty and perfection. For Italy, the beating heart, at least in a traditional and artistic context, of this representation is the Crib, the Presepe. And Naples is the capital of Presepe. Here, since the opulent centuries of Baroque, talented, creative artists passed on the secrets of arte presepiale (the art of making Presepi) to one another year after year, decade after decade, generation after generation, up until our own days. In spite of the many contro- versies caused by this true icon of Italy's cultural and spiritual life — Presepe is today forbid- den in many a school, as it is considered unsuitable for modern multi-religious and multi-cultural classrooms — Presepe remains a quintessential symbol of the country, of its art and of the most original, genui- ne Made in Italy. Real artisti presepiali — that is, the skilled artists dedicating their life to Presepe making — the ones for whom "everything must be made traditionally," have art running in their veins and, perhaps, they are no longer numerous. Yet, they belong to a world that keeps on living thanks to the natural transmission of skills and know-how from a generation to the other, but also thanks to people starting anew, in name of a passion nurtured by childhood memories and perso- nal epiphanies that led to an unexpected career. L'Italo-Americano had the pleasure and the honor to have a chat with two representatives of today's Neapolitan arte prese- piale: Cantone e Costabile, creators of beautiful Presepi since 1960 and official Holy See suppliers, and Salvatore Anastasio, a young creator from Maiori, on the Amalfi Coast who, thanks to his skills and love for Presepe, hopes to soon make of his passion a full time activity. With this double interview, we'd like to present two ways of being artisti presepiali today: on one side, we have the Bottega d'Arte Cantone e Costabile, a Neapolitan Presepi are inspired by the traditional figures and styles of the 18th century Baroque (Copyright Bottega d'Arte Cantone e Costabile) Working on majestic Presepe character (Copyright Bottega d'Arte Cantone e Costabile) Continued to page 6

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