Every year, on the evening of 8 December, one of the most extraordinary nativity scenes in the world lights up on the hillside above Manarola. Thousands of lights bring hundreds of figures to life across the terraced slope of the Tre Croci hill, overhanging the village and the Ligurian sea, and, traditionally, a torchlight procession climbs the hill at dusk before the switch is thrown. It is a genuinely moving sight, and one of the great symbols of a Ligurian Christmas.
Mario Andreoli, its creator
A few years ago I spent a whole morning with Mario Andreoli, the man who made it, one of the sweetest, most passionate people I have ever met. I treasure that morning all the more now, because Mario died in December 2022, at ninety-four, having watched over his creation almost to the very end.
His story is beautiful. It began in 1961, when his dying father asked him to restore the old Via Crucis cross that once stood in the family vineyard at the top of the hill. Mario rebuilt it, then had the idea of lighting it with a car battery, and never stopped. The next year he added the two side crosses; the year after, the nativity hut and the Holy Family. And so, Christmas after Christmas, a retired railwayman gave his little village by the sea an ever-growing riot of shepherds, sheep, fishermen and more than two hundred and fifty figures, all built entirely from recycled and scrap materials, laid out across the terraces and wired with miles of cable, all by his own hand. In time the display was powered by solar panels, a lovely detail that made this monument to recycling greener still. In 2007 it was recognised as the largest illuminated nativity scene in the world.
Mario did almost all of it himself, for decades, climbing hundreds of steps to place each figure and then hurrying down to the church esplanade to check the effect before climbing back up to adjust it. When I met him, in his later years, the volunteers of the local Italian Alpine Club (CAI) had begun helping with the installation, and the Cinque Terre National Park had started to support it. With tears in his eyes, and in mine, he told me that money matters, but that a moment of pure satisfaction is unbeatable.
The nativity today
Since Mario’s death, his work carries on thanks to a devoted team: the Associazione Presepe di Manarola “Mario Andreoli”, which he inspired, together with the Cinque Terre National Park and the Municipality of Riomaggiore. The lighting still takes place in early December (traditionally on the 8th, though in some recent years a day earlier) and the nativity glows every evening until mid-to-late January. Dates and the exact lighting ceremony vary year to year, so check the current programme before you go.
Visiting the nativity
The nativity is lit each evening from around 5.30pm through the season. You reach Manarola by train on the Cinque Terre Express, or, more beautifully, on foot: the walk from Corniglia via the hamlet of Volastra is a stunning couple of hours through forest and terraced vineyards above the sea.
Once in Manarola, enjoy the little marina and the short seafront promenade, then walk up to the church of San Lorenzo. Its esplanade is the finest viewpoint of all, the place to stand in the winter dark and watch the whole hillside glow, and to understand what one man’s stubborn, generous love can build.
Frequently asked questions
The lighting traditionally takes place on the evening of 8 December (in some recent years a day earlier), and the nativity then shines every evening, from around 5.30pm, until mid-to-late January. The exact lighting date and closing date vary each year, so check the current season’s programme with the Cinque Terre National Park before planning your visit.
Mario Andreoli, a retired railwayman from Manarola, who began it in 1961 by restoring and lighting a hilltop cross at his dying father’s request, then added to it every Christmas for decades. Built entirely from recycled materials and recognised as the world’s largest illuminated nativity, it is now carried on, after his death in 2022, by the association named for him, with the National Park and the Municipality of Riomaggiore.
Manarola is easily reached by train on the Cinque Terre Express line, which links the five villages and La Spezia. For a more beautiful approach, walk in from Corniglia via Volastra (about two hours through the vineyards). The best viewpoint of the nativity is the esplanade of the church of San Lorenzo, up in the village.
It is the largest illuminated nativity scene in the world, with more than 250 figures and thousands of lights spread across an entire terraced hillside above the sea, all handmade from recycled materials by one man, Mario Andreoli, over sixty years. Beyond its scale, it is a deeply moving symbol of devotion, community and creativity, and a highlight of Christmas in the Cinque Terre.
Further reading
- The village itself: Manarola and the Cinque Terre
- The terraces the nativity is built on: Cinque Terre winemaking and the dry-stone walls
- Getting around in winter: the Cinque Terre Express
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