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(ANSA) – Rome, December 3 – This year’s nativity scene in St. Peter’s Square will be set in the southern Italian region around Naples which the Romans called “Campania felix”, or “fertile countryside”.
It will be crafted by Naples-born Antonio Cantone, 41, maker of statues and statuettes of shepherds from the 1700s and anti-mafia activist.
“This will be the first time a Neapolitan nativity scene will appear in St. Peter’s. I am a supporter of the Land of Fires movement, which is why I decided to set it in Campania Felix”, the artisan explained.
The Camorra, or Neapolitan mafia, is widely believed to be responsible for dumping and burning illegal toxic waste in Campania, part of which has been dubbed the “Land of Fires” as a result.
Last year’s St. Peter’s nativity scene was donated by another southern region, Basilicata.