San Gregorio Armeno

When you are in Naples, at any time of the year, a must is: via San Gregorio Armeno, the famous street of the nativity scenes.

In San Gregorio Armeno even when it is hot and Christmas is far away, the artisans are at work to build the typical cork nativity scenes and terracotta shepherds; here you can always breathe a magical atmosphere!

Walking among the colorful shops of the street it is possible to observe the artisans at work, while they model the terracotta or finish their shepherds. Chatting with the artisans is a real pleasure: they know how to advise customers and explain to them the meaning and symbolism of each pastor; talking to them, in fact, is like traveling through Neapolitan traditions.

The shepherds of San Gregorio Armeno are real masterpieces and they are all handmade, the material used is terracotta and some of them are also hand-sewn. In addition to the ‘traditional’ pastors, for many years the statuettes of famous Italian and foreign people have been realized: actors, actresses, people from the entertainment world, politicians and even the Pope. In fact, every year new characters are created, in line with current events and events that occurred during the year.

In San Gregorio Armeno you can find everything for the nativity scenes: from cork or cardboard houses of various sizes, to electrically operated mechanical objects, such as windmills or waterfalls.

In addition to the artisans of nativity scenes, many of the city’s artistic and commercial activities are concentrated in this street; in fact there are workshops of sculptors, silversmiths and gilders, open all year round.

From November until January San Gregorio Armeno is packed with people at every hour of the day; but here you can breathe an enchanted atmosphere, in which traditions survive intact the frenetic chaos of the ever-changing city, during all the months of the year.