Christmas in Napoli

Naples, Italy has very strong ancient traditions for celebrating Christmas. It is a time for Neapolitan's to express their best creativity. Their creativity with elaborate handmade nativity scenes, traditional food, the feast of Christmas Eve and the feast of Christmas day. It is a time for family, food, art and more food.

Presepi

 I have wanted to visit Naples for years to see the famous Presepi (Nativity) shops where artisans hand make many tiny items for Neapolitans, Italians and visitors to buy and build their Nativity set at home. The tradition dates back centuries with the most famous Presepi being made out of delicate ceramic from Capodimonte, outside of King Ferdinand's royal palace. The Nativity sets are unique in that they incorporate not only the Holy Family but ordinary people doing their daily tasks as they might have done when Jesus was born. The twist is that they are Neapolitan's doing ordinary Neapolitan tasks such as making pasta and hanging lets of prosciutto to dry. The idea is that Jesus was born for us all and each of us in included in celebrating his birth. We walked down the famous Via San Gregorio Armeno admiring the local artists and left with a little camel to add to our Nativity.

Via San Gregorio Armeno

Items to buy to build your own Presepio

Camel for us!

Cork to build your Presepio at home

 Each church has a unique Presepio they built.

The pizza maker

One from the 17th century depicting life then.

This was King Ferdinands Presepio at Reggio di Capodimonte, one of his many palaces

 In each town, people build their Nativity set to reflect their town. For expample:

Presepio in Positano

Positano the town

 Ordinary people are depicted in the Presepio:

The butcher

Some shops proudly build theirs

This one is so big it fills an entire atrium of a church

My favorite figure: the pasta maker

I'm not sure if Mary and Joseph ate Neapolitan cheese but if they ever did I'm sure they loved it!

The fruit stand

The fishermen

 It's also interesting to see what has changed from 17th and 18th century figures and what remains the same.

And finally: a Nativity made of Pizza.

Christmas Eve Dinner

Tip: bring your fat pants on this trip. I arrived in a size 6 and left in a size 11...just saying: Neapolitan's feed you for Christmas and if you resist.."She is sick! Make her a tea! Serve her cookies! What's the matter with you?! Did someone offend you? No? Good! Here try this slice of cake and you must try one baba and some liquor to digest! You  barely ate a thing! (Having eaten 7 courses)"

Anyway, Christmas Eve begins calmly. You wake up, have your breakfast and notice that no one else is eating much. Why they are usually such hearty eaters? What might be wrong? Lunch time rolls around and the have just a few bites. Now wait, something is seriously wrong! I ate a normal lunch against the warning eyes of my mom-in-law and the protests of the Chef that I would regret it. I had no idea what would happen in a few hours. We headed over to a relatives house where the door was open and 12 tense faces said hellos as if they were getting ready for a serious marathon. The girls cooking in the kitchen were arguing over timing for serving  courses. I sat happily to finally be at a real Neapolitan Christmas dinner. It was 5 PM. I looked at the pretty place setting with so many plates and marveled at their elegance...At 11:30 PM I was in serious gastrointestinal pain and looking for any excuse to escape this delicious but painful digestive experience. Yes, we age for 6 and a half hours. With out stopping. Friends: With out stopping. The Christmas Eve dinner is fish based so everything comes from the sea. The courses more or less are:

1. Appetizers: already a full meal! Cheese, fish, fried really good stuff, cheese and more cheese!
2. Primo: Spagetti with clams
3. Insalta di reinforzo: a sort-of salad meant to push the pasta down and make space for:
4.  Tortelli with broth
5. Secondo: Fish with potatoes
6. Dolci: LOTS of pastries
7. Coffee and liquors and more pastries

Then you think it's over! Oh no dear one, oh no. Your intestine looks up at you and says "What did I ever do to you to have me work overtime like this?!" The cellulite on your thighs start to grin menacingly. Then, on Christmas Day you feel like pulling on your largest sweats but are informed that at noon lunch will be served family style. Oh, no thank you. Why are you sick?! You're not sick. Hurry up we are leaving! You debate between your two fat pants wondering which one has a millimeter more that the other. You make your choice and calm your intestine by explaining to her that today is probably just a day for left overs. Oh naive one. How little you know.

Christmas Day Lunch

Arriving to the same house the super long table is elegantly laid with again layers of plates. Oh no! The same cooks are hustling and arguing in the kitchen. They are cooking new stuff! Oh no again! You can't possibly eat now! The kids look from their side of the table at the American and laugh knowing that you have voiced your intestinal concerns and were ignored. "My intestine is this big and I can't possible fit that much food into my intestinal cavity!" You try to explain to your mother in law who thinks you are too thin.

The courses start...why?! How?! Why are they doing this? Yes, it is elegant but my stomach can't fit it! Being polite you begin to nibble. The courses this time are 6:

1. Antipasto: cheese and a HUGE plate with salamis
2. Primo: Ravioli
3. Insalata Russia! Meant to shove down the food and make space for:
4. Chicken
5 Sausage and Broccoli
6 Dolci: lots of fresh pastries
7. Coffee and liquors

I ate enough for 2 weeks in those 2 meals! They were delicious. Each meal prepared with care and love. Each course I should say. But boy, did my belly hurt!