Montefegatesi is a stunning village built around a massive rock which once had a castle on its summit but is now crowned by a monument to Italy’s, and one of the world’s, supreme poets, Dante; for it is said that Dante was inspired by the view towards the ‘orrido di Botri’ canyon to write his description of the gates leading to the ‘Inferno’ of his ‘Divine Comedy’.
Because of its relative remoteness to all the other villages in our comune of Bagni di Lucca (which, incidentally, is the largest mountain comune in Italy) Montefegatesi has retained a remarkable sense of local solidarity and community. Indeed, in the words of one of my Facebook readers ‘the people there have always been known for their grit and solidarity.’
One aspect of this cohesion is the great effort the village puts together to present a Christmas crib itinerary through their streets. Every household (the total population is under 200 inhabitants) creates a Christmas crib using their own resources and imagination and the results are charming and often surprising.
I took the Christmas crib journey through Montefegatesi yesterday and here is a small selection of the cribs made by the Montefegatesians together with some views of this very special place.
In the evening there was a concert given in the newly refurbished village theatre, the fabulous ‘Joyful Angels’ gospel choir under the inimitable direction of Maestro and friend Andrea Salvoni. This is what a really together village can achieve in our part of the world…..
Well done to the people of Montefegatesi. I just wish other villages in our comune could show something of the same sense of coming together and forming a true community.
Another very interesting article! Thank you so much for sharing 🙂
Thankyou for your comment Giovanni.
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I wonder was a competition underway to choose the best crib they are all very interesting and artistic however the one that appealed most to me is the one created in a hollow tree branch seemed most effective. Each crib told it s own story in its own unique way. I agree that it would be nice to have more villages and villagers participating actively but the sad truth is that some villages are dwindling in numbers which makes matters most difficult. When we first landed in this area we had so many ideas and projects bu have ended up participating in other unique and varied events far and wide which I suppose is equally fun and fulfilling. Variety is after all the spice of life!
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