On December the 10th, the magic of Manarola’s nativity scene will light up again
“It was 1961 when my father, at the point of death, asked me to restore a cross that stood at the top of the family hill. I fixed the cross, I had the idea to illuminate it with a car battery. Since this day, I’ve never stopped. ”
From the promise made by a son in one of the saddest moments of his life, began the story that today is one of the happiest and most joyful interpretations of the Nativity: the crib of Mario Andreoli, who for more than 50 years has transformed the hill of Tre Croci above Manarola in a charming Christmas hymn.
Today he’s almost ninety years old, but he continues to dedicate himself – now, together with the new “Mario Andreoli Presepe di Manarola” Association, the many volunteers and the CAI – Club Alpino Italiano, and the support of the Cinque Terre National Park and the Municipality of Riomaggiore and – to this project, a magic that is perfectly blended with the beauty of this area of the Eastern Liguria, that attracts millions of visitors from all over the world.
There are three hundred man-sized figures on the ridge above the village: formed by 15 thousand light bulbs, they will be lit at sunset on December the 10th (two days after the traditional beginning, due to adverse weather forecasts), in front of the many people arrived to admire this unique spectacle.
After the positioning of the illuminated cross, Andreoli began to manufacture one by one the characters of the nativity scene, with recycled materials assembled with imagination and constancy: an extemporaneous idea that soon became an environmental art work set up in the green of the vineyards.
From 1985, when he retired after a life spent working as a railwayman, Andreoli devoted himself to his Nativity, considered today by the community of Manarola a real asset of the community. The rest, is the result of a sparkling history that you can admire with your own eyes during all the Christmas holidays.
For an unforgettable experience, here is the tour of Arbaspàa dedicated to the Nativity Scene by Mario Andreoli: http://bit.ly/2zE0Lp4
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