Eighteenth-century Nativity scene of Acireale

The eighteenth-century Nativity scene of Acireale is housed in the Chiesetta di Santa Maria della Neve of Acireale, known as “A Rutta” (the cave).

The Nativity scene consists of 34 characters wearing nineteenth-century costumes and in the setting up there are also objects from the Sicilian tradition. Note the great expressiveness of the faces and the attention to detail. In addition to the traditional figures, there are also some characters taken from tradition such as ”Innaru” (January, who warms up in front of the fire) and ”u meravighatu da stidda” (the character enraptured by the passage of the comet star).