Today is Saint Stephen’s Day, a national holiday in Italy. Sicilians and Italians spend the day with family and friends visiting presepi di Natale, or nativity scenes, like this Presepe Vivente that I visited last year in Licodia Eubea in Catania province, where I’ll be hosting our Life in A Remote Sicilian Town tour in July 2020. Such presentations are a sight to see! In the case of Licodia Eubea’s, dozens of townspeople volunteer to be part of a living diorama, if you will, of life during olden times. Here we see a presentation of Mary and Joseph with baby Jesus in their famous quarters on Christmas night. This scene is just one of perhaps twenty interactive tableaus that I experienced last year. Over the next days, I’ll publish photos of this one in Licodia Eubea and the one from Custonaci that I also toured. Presepe Vivente are a beautiful tribute to community, art, and life, and they are found in towns throughout Sicily during this season.

Licodia Eubea is a magical village of 3000 people in the mountains of Easter Sicily. The townspeople are warm and generous. It’s authentic Sicily! For more information about our immersive July tour, visit https://experiencesicily.com/2020-tours-of-sicily/life-in-a-remote-sicilian-town-july/