Experience Sicily

Tag: presepe

  • Christmas Presepio In Sicily

    Scene from a Christmas presepio created by Zio Lillo (Uncle Lillo) in Sant’Angelo Muxaro.

  • Saint Stephen’s Day in Sicily

    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 one pictured, made by Zio Lillo in Sant’Angelo Muxaro, north of Agrigento. Even more elaborate are ones presented by actors or townspeople dressed as the Holy…

  • Sicilian Precepio for Christmas

    Scene from a Christmas presepio created by Zio Lillo (Uncle Lillo) in Sant’Angelo Muxaro.

  • The Day After Christmas in Sicily

    Today, Saint Stephen’s Day, is a national holiday in Italy. Sicilians and Italians spend the day with family and friends visiting presepi di Natale, or nativity scenes, like this one pictured from Chiesa di San Bartolomeo in Scicli. Even more elaborate are ones presented by actors or townspeople dressed as the Holy Family, accompanied by…

  • Jesus, Mary, Joseph, and a Zampogna Player

    Nativity scenes (presepe or presepio) in Sicily and Southern Italy don’t just illustrate the Holy Family, they also show the folk traditions of the people in the region. For example, at the presepe in Sant’Elia that Experience Sicily’s Filippo Buttitta photographed last week, the life-sized figures include this zampogna, or bagpipe player. Zampogne (plural for…

  • Sant’Elia Seaside Nativity Scene

    This is a nativity scene (or presepio or presepe) photographed by Experience Sicily’s Filippo Buttitta on the seaside at Sant’Elia. This photo was taken yesterday. Filippo reported that the weather in Sicily has been fantastic in recent weeks.

  • Away in a Manger

    Throughout Sicily, building and viewing presepe, or the nativity scene, is a Christmas tradition. From table top diorama-sized statues, like this one pictured from Chiesa di San Bartolomeo in Scicli, to performances featuring actors and live animals that can be found in towns like Sutera, Gangi, and Termini Imerese, to name just a few, displaying…

  • Knocking on Heaven’s Door

    Door knocker, Sutera, Sicily. The town of Sutera, which as I’ve explained in the past, is so high up on a mountain that it seems to scrape the sky, is well-known throughout Sicily for its live Nativity scenes–locals dress as Joseph and Mary, and along with an infant, some live animals, and eventually some wise…