Description of the attraction
The Museum of the Christmas Creche in the Empire is also known as the Municipal Art Gallery and is housed in the 19th century Palazzo del Collegio in Piazza del Duomo. Renovated in 2008, it consists of four exhibition halls. The spacious main hall features two huge 17th-century canvases and paintings by the artist Francesco Bruno. There you can also watch a video about the history and restoration of nativity scenes. The nativity scenes themselves are kept in a large glass case in another room. The collection of the City Art Gallery is exhibited in two side rooms.
The nativity scene, the main exhibit of the Stucco Hall in the Museum of the Empire, consists of 113 18th-century wooden statues made by Genoese sculptor Anton Maria Maragliano for the Berio family's festive nativity scene. It must be said that Maragliano, who began as an apprentice in the sculpture workshop of Arata and improved his technique under the careful guidance of Maestro Torre, was a prolific and very popular sculptor. He and his students worked on these marvelous oil-painted figurines from 1724 to 1741. And in order for each visitor to appreciate the skills of Maragliano, the administration of the museum organized a special multimedia show with music, bright colors and moving images.
