It’s that time of the year in which Santa starts making his list and checking it twice as he tries to figure out who’s naughty and who’s nice. This year, if Babbo Natale is smart, he’ll turn to the Neapolitans for a bit of help with that task, as the creche makers along San Gregorio Armeno have been sorting through the same list for months, deciding who’s good enough or bad enough to be featured in this year’s nativity scenes.
Faithful readers will already know that American politicians such as Barack and Michelle Obama and John McCain will be following the star this year, but we wouldn’t want anyone to think that Italian politicans aren’t getting equal time at the barn.
For confirmation of the inclusive nature of the Neapolitans when fitting out manger scenes, just have a close look at Susan Sanders‘ photo above. Familiar elements reveal themselves immediately: there’s a wiseman with a fabulous hat and a graceful Virgin Mary. However, closer inspection reveals the presence of a well-dressed garbage man as well, one Silvio Berlusconi, who stands on a wooden platform amidst piles of garbage bags and holds a street sweeper’s broom. (There are little Neapolitan soccer players scattered about too).
The inclusion of Berlusconi is either a nod to his ability or inability to resolve the garbage crisis in Naples–you’ll probably want to make that decision on the basis of your own political leanings.
For more photos by Susan Sanders, be sure to visit her blog: Rome With A View. And don’t forget that Susan’s Rome With A View Calendars make a great gift for anyone who loves the Eternal City (and if you’re reading this, that includes you!).
