L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2025 www.italoamericano.org 10 L'Italo-Americano I n t h e N e a p o l i t a n street of San Grego- rio Armeno, shelves overflow with nativity figurines, craftsmen work in small workshops, a n d c r o w d s m o v e s l o w l y between stalls all year round, not only at Christmas. This is where presepe became "the" presepe we all know: the one w i t h c o l o r f u l s t a t u e t t e s , homes, lights, and, some- times, extemporaneous ele- ments that have little to do with faith and more about family traditions and habits. For most of us, San Grego- rio Armeno is just this, "the street of the presepe," a place where Christmas seems to last all year, yet the story of t h i s a l l e y i s f a r o l d e r a n d more layered than its season- a l i m a g e m a y s u g g e s t . I t begins in the ancient city of Neapolis, passes through medieval monasteries, the B a r o q u e c u l t u r e o f t h e Neapolitan presepe, and con- tinues today as artisans bring together heritage, creativity, a n d y e s , t h e p r e s s u r e s o f tourism. Understanding San Gregorio Armeno ultimately means looking at how a his- torical street became one of the most recognizable sym- bols of Christmas in Italy, and this is exactly what we are about to do here. The layout of the alley fol- lows one of the original cross- streets of Greek-Roman Neapolis, which connected today's Via dei Tribunali and Spaccanapoli; archae- ologists and historians alike point out that here stood a temple dedicated to Ceres, the Roman goddess of agri- culture and fertility, to whom citizens brought small terracotta statuettes as offer- ings. Surely, our ancestors' a n t h r o p o m o r p h i c g i f t s t o their deity of abundance may not be quite the same as our presepi, but it's interesting to note the connection between the place and this specific type of artifacts predates the Christian era by centuries. Its current name, San Grego- rio Armeno, comes from the monastery and church built during the early Mid- dle Ages, and later linked to the cult of Santa Patrizia, an important figure in Neapoli- tan devotion. T h e n a t i v i t y t r a d i t i o n , however, arrived much later. Medieval churches in Naples began displaying early forms of the presepe from the thir- t e e n t h c e n t u r y o n w a r d s , drawing inspiration from the Franciscan example of Greccio. Over time, these displays moved from ecclesi- astical settings to aristocratic palaces, especially between the seventeenth and eigh- teenth centuries, when the Neapolitan presepe became a recognizable art form. Dur- ing this period, the Nativity scene expanded beyond the stable to include an entire miniature society: ven- dors, musicians, nobles, tav- erns, alleyways, countryside landscapes, and everyday fig- ures taken from the life of the city. Craftsmen special- ized in modeling terracotta heads and hands, construct- ing wooden bodies, sewing m i n i a t u r e c l o t h e s , a n d assembling elaborate scenes with architectural details. This growing sophistication created a demand for special- i z e d w o r k s h o p s , a n d S a n Gregorio Armeno, already known for religious crafts, became one of the key loca- tions for producing figures for churches, palaces, and, eventually, private homes. By the eighteenth cen- t u r y , t h e p r e s e p e h a d become part of Naples' cul- tural identity; the Bourbon court encouraged and sup- ported artisans, and noble families competed in com- missioning elaborate scenes that showed both craftsman- ship and imagination. San Gregorio Armeno benefited directly from this environ- ment, and workshops that o r i g i n a l l y o n l y p r o d u c e d saints' statues began devot- ing more time to nativity fig- ures, responding to a steady d e m a n d t h a t c u t a c r o s s social classes. In time, the t r a d i t i o n a d a p t e d t o n e w materials, changing tastes, and shifting economic cir- cumstances, but the street retained its connection to the presepe. T o d a y , S a n G r e g o r i o Armeno remains a y e a r - round craft district: small w o r k s h o p s o p e n d i r e c t l y onto the street, with shelves displaying figurines in vari- ous stages of completion; some are traditional shep- herds or angels; others rep- resent historical characters or professions typical of the Neapolitan presepe. A few include contemporary fig- ures such as athletes, actors, political leaders, or social m e d i a p e r s o n a l i t i e s . O f course, these pieces serve v e r y d i f f e r e n t p u r p o s e s : some are humorous com- mentaries on current events; others are ways for artisans to show their technical skill or attract younger visitors; others still are more strictly connected with the religious and spiritual meaning of the presepe. Let's not forget, in a n y c a s e , t h a t t h e m i x o f s a c r e d a n d e v e r y d a y e l e - ments we associate with San Gregorio Armeno's artifacts today is not a modern inven- tion but continues the eigh- teenth-century tradition of using the nativity as a mir- ror of Neapolitan soci- ety. The street becomes espe- cially crowded from early November through the day of the Epiphany: you'll find families buying new figurines for their presepe, visitors s e a r c h i n g f o r g i f t s , a n d tourists roaming around, curious about the tradition. All converge in this narrow alley, and while the atmos- phere is nice and lively, some c h a l l e n g e s m a y a r i s e : i n recent years, the flow of visi- tors has been so high that local authorities have occa- sionally discussed managing access or regulating peak h o u r s . A t t h e s a m e t i m e , fewer people can hurt the area even deeper, as it hap- pened during the Covid-19 pandemic, when the sudden absence of tourists exposed the vulnerability of the craft economy: several workshops reported significant financial strain, and the loss highlight- ed how dependent the dis- trict had become on seasonal tourism. The crisis, however, also generated renewed conversa- tions about protecting the street's identity, supporting a r t i s a n s , a n d p r e s e r v i n g high-quality craftsmanship. Efforts to safeguard the tra- dition include long-running events such as the Fiera di San Gregorio Armeno a n d d i s c u s s i o n s a b o u t obtaining formal cultural recognition for the Neapoli- tan presepe. Artisans them- selves debate how best to b a l a n c e i n n o v a t i o n a n d authenticity, with some wor- rying that inexpensive mass- produced figurines or exces- s i v e f o c u s o n c e l e b r i t y caricatures may overshadow their historical craft. Others, however, argue that the pre- sepe has always adapted to its time and that contempo- rary figures simply continue a tradition of incorporating everyday life into the Nativi- ty scene. Internal discussions among artists, which never- t h e l e s s s h o w t h e s t r e e t ' s ongoing evolution and the strain of being both a living w o r k s h o p d i s t r i c t a n d a major tourist destination. For visitors, San Gregorio Armeno remains an amazing opportunity to observe how craftsmen work, to under- stand the materials involved, and to witness firsthand the chameleonic nature of a cen- turies-old craft. Crucially, the street is also part of a broad- er context: that of Naples' UNESCO-listed historic cen- ter, which also includes the monastery of San Gregorio Armeno and the daily life that continues around the workshops. San Gregorio Armeno: how a Neapolitan alley became the heart of Italy's Nativity tradition CHIARA D'ALESSIO The art of San Gregorio Armeno (Photo: Gun75/Dreamstime) LIFE PEOPLE PLACES EVENTS

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