The 'Living Nativity Scenes' Festival
in Matera's rock-cut Sassi districts is even more special this
year, featuring a dozen caves lit from below in the Murgia
plateau in the Park of the Rupestrian Churches.
The soft lighting is powered by the sun, explained Luca Prisco,
the director of the Matera Convention Bureau, at a press
conference that Mayor Domenico Bernardi and Park Agency
President Giovanni Mianulli also took part in.
This new lighting follows the approval of the Basilicata
regional government's Environmental Incidence Asssessment
(VINCA).
The festival started with a performance on December 8, one of
nine taking place up to January 6, 2024.
One of the highlights was the December 9 show, which coincided
with the 30th anniversary of the Sassi and the Park of the
Rupestrian Churches of Matera being admitted to UNESCO's list of
World Heritage Sites.
That night featured the ceremony for the twinning of Matera with
Greccio, in the province of Rieti, which for 800 years has been
continuing the tradition of staging nativity scenes that was
started by Saint Francis of Assisi.
A 'videomapping' show in Piazza San Pietro Caveoso recreated the
meeting between Saint Francis of Assisi and Pope Honorius III.
The Living Nativity Scene, directed by theatre director
Giampiero Francese, stretched out over a four kilometre course,
starting from the city centre and going through the Sasso
Barisano and the Sasso Caveoso and featured 200 professional
actors, extras and members of theatre companies from various
regions.
Organizers said 400 bus-loads of visitors had booked.
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