Assisi, the magic of Christmas in the crib city of San Francesco

Assisi, Christmas, the Greggio crib. A magic that relives this year in the Umbrian city with a tribute to the many people who in recent months have been at the forefront of the fight against Covid. It will be a special Christmas the one conceived by the friars of the basilica of San Francesco of Assisi. With the help of technology, the magic of this period will be projected throughout the city. Precisely to be close, even if far away, to the faith and to the great place of worship that is the basilica. And it will also be a tribute to health workers involved in the fight against Covid. In fact, in the life-size nativity scene there will be a statue depicting a nurse. The project "Il Natale di Francesco" will transform Assisi into an imaginary nativity scene.

Assisi, a technological project for Christmas

The program of events for this Christmas will begin on Tuesday on the day of the Immaculate Conception, with Holy Mass, the blessing of the nativity scene and the lighting of the Christmas tree. There will be statues and video projections on the facade of the basilica and the cathedral of San Rufino. Thus the beauties of Giotto's frescoes in the Basilica of San Francesco and that Greggio crib created for the first time by the saint of Assisi will relive. Tradition and modernity meet in Franciscan spirituality. And then plays of lights and video mapping on the streets of Assisi. All with the artistic direction of Mario Cucinella.

The narration and spirituality of this special moment can be followed in streaming, by connecting to the nataledifrancesco.it web app. The nativity of Jesus will be projected on the facade of the basilica with life-size statues and video images of the fresco. Instead, the Annunciation of Mary will be projected on the facade of the Cathedral of San Rufino. And then the magic of a video mapping by the Mario Capasso studio: in fact every 30 minutes from 17 to 22 pm in the dark on the facade of the Basilica a video with the details of the monumental complex.

Those who look at it will thus be able to admire the frescoes, and immerse themselves in an evocative narrative of the Christmas of St. Francis. Play of light also on the Basilica of Santa Chiara, Rocca Maggiore, Rocca Minore, Monte Frumentario. And then to the Civic Tower of the Piazza del Comune and a scenographic lighting of the streets that connect the Basilica of San Francesco to the Cathedral.

The peculiarity of the crib of Francis

And there is also space for the crib is made up of 50 shepherds while the Christmas tree in the lower square of the Basilica is a 13-meter white fir, offered by the Department of Agriculture and Forestry of the Autonomous Province of Trento. "Also in this year so marked by suffering, in the pandemic: Merry Christmas because the Lord comes, always comes and keeps us company.

This year we wanted to create a very special nativity scene- underlined the custodian of the Sacred Convent of Assisi, fra Marco Moroni - in which to highlight the beauty of Giotto's art and make it plastic, making this reality immersive. In front of the basilica the presence in which we can enter, in which each of us can feel part of this event, of the birth of the Lord Jesus ”.