The three holy Magi from the East ask in every small town: "Dear boys and girls, Say, is the way to Bethlehem this way?" - Heinrich Heine, German poet
He is about forty-five years old the Nativity Museum of Dalminein the province of Bergamo. Born in 1974 at the behest of Don Giacomo Piazzoli, the first parish priest of the hamlet of Brembo (Dalmine) and a passionate crib maker, is still officially recognised by the Lombardy Region as a of the most characteristic and fascinating museums in the area.
The museum houses over nine hundred cribs broken down by age, provenance, size and material. Within it, experts from different geographical realities have endeavoured to represent and interpret the great mystery of the nativity through unique and precious elaborations.
The Dalmine Crib Museum: tradition and craftsmanship
Powered by craftsmen of extraordinary skill and imagination, the Dalmine Crib Museum offers a warm and welcoming atmosphere. This structure is considered by many to be a small local treasure. His handcrafted works are capable of arousing wonder and admiration at first sight.
Starting from Neapolitan traditionthrough the local Bergamo worksup to international productionsin particular Asian, South American and African. Among the oldest nativity scenes, dating back to the early 18th century, we can distinguish the various techniques and styles used by the artists over time. In addition, we can observe some of the results produced by modern nativity schools, the most famous of which are certainly the Ligurian, the Trentino and the Sardinian schools.
Other productions come from historically Catholic countries such as the Poland and Spain. The ground floor houses one of the most valuable nativity scenes created by the Genoese sculptor Garaventa.
The Dalmine Crib Museum: the library
Recently, the museum has also been equipped with a didactic-electronic nativity scene that features various biblical episodes alternating with papier-mâché statues made by the Lecce Antonio Mazzeo. With the passage of time, the Dalmine Museum has been continuously enriched through the acquisition of new pieces and donations from private entities. In this regard, we should mention that the 1,200 square metres of exhibition space are not sufficient to house all the museum's works. There is also a specialised library and a rare collection of paper cribs and beautifully crafted items related to the Christmas theme. In addition, it is possible to buy pieces and figurines for your own museum and ask for advice on how to make one at home.
For more information and to visit the Dalmine Crib Museum, we recommend the official page Dalmine Museums
If you want to try your hand and build a nativity scene from scratch, here is a tutorial that might give you a hand:
