[vc_row][vc_column][gem_quote]The magic of Christmas is most special in the Cinque Terre! From 8 December 2019 until the end of January 2020, an entire hill of the Poets’ Bay, that of the Three Crosses, will be populated by 300 life-size figures, arranged to represent one of the most beloved scenes in history: the Nativity of Jesus .[/gem_quote][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”A world-record nativity” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1457788607747{margin-right: 0px !important;margin-bottom: 0px !important;margin-left: 0px !important;}”][vc_column width=”1/2″ css=”.vc_custom_1575932886234{padding-bottom: 404px !important;background-image: url(https://www.myitaliandriver.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/nativity-manarola-c.jpg?id=25934) !important;background-position: center !important;background-repeat: no-repeat !important;background-size: cover !important;}”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″ css=”.vc_custom_1457788939445{padding-bottom: 20px !important;padding-left: 42px !important;}” offset=”vc_col-lg-offset-0″][vc_column_text]In 2007, Manarola entered the Guinness World Record for a very special record: in this village every year the largest Nativity in the world is made. The creator of the grandiose work of lights and harmonies is Mario Andreoli, a former railway employee who started working on the project back in 1961, illuminating a small cross on the top of the family hill with a car battery: this was the first piece of a work that has become the symbol of an entire community. The then very young artist began with iron, plastic and recycled materials: he assembled them together, completed them with tiny candles and made them a character. After the initial manger complete with ox and donkey, Mr. Mario added a new figure every year, with flexible and fantasy strokes: shepherds, shopkeepers, sheep, laundresses. The end result is a crib that stretches across the hill, built with 8 kilometers of cables and illuminated by 17,000 lights, which remains lit for about two months a year. Since it overlooks the landscape from above, you can admire it from anywhere in the bay. But the most evocative place is the 320th step of the Manarola-Riomaggiore path: if you decide to climb up to there, perhaps with a torch and a bottle of Sciacchetrà, you will see an incredible panorama.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][tp_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”Eco-friendly Christmas” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1558979821019{margin-right: 0px !important;margin-bottom: 0px !important;margin-left: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 0px !important;}”][vc_column width=”1/2″ css=”.vc_custom_1457789015745{padding-top: 33px !important;padding-right: 42px !important;}”][vc_column_text]The citizens of Manarola actively participate in the preservation of the planet … especially during Christmas! All the characters of the largest Nativity in the world are in fact built with recycled materials; moreover, to light up this gigantic work with clean energy, a photovoltaic system has been built that limits consumption and helps the environment.
On your wishlist this year, add a weekend to the Cinque Terre, where Christmas lights up for you.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″ css=”.vc_custom_1558979902543{padding-bottom: 80px !important;background-position: center !important;background-repeat: no-repeat !important;background-size: cover !important;}”][vc_single_image image=”25935″ img_size=”large”][vc_single_image image=”25936″ img_size=”large”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1557157779865{margin-top: 0px !important;padding-top: 0px !important;}”][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”Here are some daily tours for you to discover Cinque Terre” font_container=”tag:h3|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][tp_product_list layout=”carousel” display_post=”4″ display_category=”cinqueterre”][/vc_column][/vc_row]
