Christmas in Rome: The Traditional Presepio

The Tour

This special Christmas itinerary celebrates three major sites of Christmas devotion in Rome where the visitor to the city can enjoy three uniquely different and equally famous presepi (Christmas-cribs).

The celebration of Christmas in Rome has its own unique flavor, combining sumptuous liturgical celebrations and festive religious and cultural traditions.  One of the most renowned is the “presepio.”  This itinerary offers an extraordinary opportunity to enjoy the special flavor of Christmastime in Rome.

Tracing the historical development of Christmas traditions, our itinerary entails a passage into the history of Italian art, religion, theatre and micro-architecture.  A quick look at this history places its origins in the latter part of the 13th century, where our tours beings on the summit of the Esquiline Hill, a site intended to provide a special place for the innovative Christmas festivities introduced by Pope Liberius (352-66).  Here at the Papal Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, we will visit one of the world’s finest and most antique presepi, a masterpiece in white Carrara marble portraying an artistic warmth and gracefulness typical of the late medieval style.  This magnificent building also houses the sacred relics of the infant Jesus’ actual crib, the venerated “cunambulum” , around which many splendid rituals and liturgical celebrations still revolve today.

Our next visit, after a stroll through one of Rome’s most intriguing and famous neighbourhoods, Rione Monti, is to the Basilica of Saints Cosmas and Damian at the Roman Forum.  Here we will visit a famous Neopolitan presepio, a monumental 17th-century nativity scene with exquisitely carved figurines.  In a triumph of Christmas atmosphere stand precious statuettes representing, in a typically Neapolitan style, the entirety of humankind.

The itinerary concludes on to the Capitoline Hill, at the magnificent Basilica of Santa Maria in Aracoeli (Altar of Heaven) which boasts of one of Rome’s most celebrated life-size presepi.  The Christmas scene here is a cultural and devotional masterpiece of the central Italian tradition enriched with a number of ancient wooden figurines.  A particular feature is the colorfully painted three-dimensional illustration of the “Gloria in excelsis Deo”.  Santa Maria in Aracoeli is also home of the famous Santo Bambino (Holy Child), a strange though attractive statuette of the new-born Savior.  This basilica is often crowded at Christmastime, especially when children come to recite festive poems at the chapel of the presepio.

We will see how in the city of Rome today the tradition of the Italian presepio and all the festive ritualism that it encompasses remains a spectacular Christmas experience.  Visiting these three shrines this Christmastime to admire their presepi and learn about their traditions and rituals will make for a extraordinary Roman Christmas.

Details

Tour Route:
The Papal Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore; a walk through Rione Monti (Rome’s first and most authentic quarter); the Basilica of Saints Cosmas and Damian; the Basilica of Santa Maria in Aracoeli.
Duration: 3 hours
Meeting point: Piazza Santa Maria Maggiore (at the column)
Starting time: 5PM Daily

Walking Tour
Time: 3 hours
Cost: €40

TOUR OPTIONS:
This is a walking tour.

Entrance Fees
The are no entrance fees.

Special Requirements
If you have special requirements, please contact us as early as possible to see if we can accommodate your needs. Email us or call +39 06 3972 3051

Terms & Conditions
Tour bookings are on a first come, first served basis, unless you have made an early reservation and have our confirmation email. All ticket sales are final. To cancel or change your booking, please contact us as early as possible. We will do our best to assist you. Read our Cancellation & Amendment Policy here.