Art&Style

The Via dei Presepi in Naples

The wonder of Via San Gregorio Armeno between the sacred and the profane

by Lavinia Colonna Preti

In the Greek heart of Naples, there is one of its most characteristic streets, Via San Gregorio Armeno, known throughout the world for its stalls and artisan workshops selling Neapolitan nativity scenes, lucky charms, including the must-have “cornetto”, as well as hand-made figurines of any character worthy of devotion, from the Pope to Prince Charles, to Napoli’s football team players.

Via San Gregorio Armeno, also known as the Via dei Presepi, is one of the oldest streets in beautiful Neapolis, as it constituted the major road that connected the Agora with the Decumanus Inferiore, from which many right-angled streets branched off based on the urban planning model of the Greek architect Hippodamus of Miletus and later extended to all the colonies of Magna Graecia.

Being superstitious is ignorant, but not being superstitious brings bad luck.

(Eduardo De Filippo)

The nativity scene tradition of the area seems to have originated in the Greek era, when there was a temple dedicated to Ceres in the street to which citizens used to offer small terracotta figurines as votive offerings.

The nativity scene as we know it today was born in 1223 in Greccio in nearby Lazio when Saint Francis of Assisi, during the Christmas mass, staged the nativity for the first time.

The myth of the Neapolitan nativity scene developed historically later, around the 18th century, when it became fashionable among the aristocracy to create increasingly sumptuous representations that reached their peak in the Baroque period.

Today in Via San Gregorio Armeno there are still many artisan workshops specialized in nativity scenes that have been handed down for generations, in addition to having become the crossroads of that wonderful, exquisitely Neapolitan world that revolves around divination and superstition.

Being portrayed by one of its master craftsmen and “becoming” a statuette on sale is a true status symbol that consecrates a person’s fame. Here, in fact, you can go shopping for your favorite celebrity, from Freddy Mercury to Maradona. And if you don’t have one, opt for a red statuette of San Gennaro, the patron saint of Naples, because, considering how many miracles are attributed to him, it is certainly worth placing your wishes in him.

Another true cult object to buy in Via San Gregorio Armeno is the Neapolitan “cornetto” (little horn), which must be strictly red and handmade.

The origin of the lucky meaning of horns dates back to the dawn of time, when displaying the horns of hunted animals was a sign of prosperity and power of a family. A symbolism that in Greek and Roman times was associated with the phallus, with the cult of Priapus, the God of Prosperity and sexual power, as can be seen from the many phallic objects found in the excavations of Pompeii and Herculaneum.

At the MANN, National Archaeological Museum of Naples, you can, in fact, visit the collection of the Secret Cabinet where about 250 erotic finds are exhibited, including a coral phallus, a precursor of the red horn.

Where to buy a really cool one? At Bobò jewels located in Via San Biagio dei Librai, perpendicular of Via San Gregorio Armeno, inside the courtyard of Palazzo Diomede Carafa where there is also the workshop of Tiziana D’Auria specialized in nativity scene art and restorations of fine craftsmanship.

The Secret

For the horn to bring good luck, it must be given as a gift and, once received, a specific activation ritual must be observed which can vary in detail, with the common denominator of having the left hand pricked with the open palm with the tip of the horn before wearing it.

The Via dei Presepi in Naples
The Via dei Presepi in Naples
The Via dei Presepi in Naples
The Via dei Presepi in Naples
The Via dei Presepi in Naples
The Via dei Presepi in Naples
The Via dei Presepi in Naples
The Via dei Presepi in Naples
The Via dei Presepi in Naples
The Via dei Presepi in Naples
The Via dei Presepi in Naples
The Via dei Presepi in Naples
The Via dei Presepi in Naples
The Via dei Presepi in Naples
The Via dei Presepi in Naples
The Via dei Presepi in Naples
The Via dei Presepi in Naples
The Via dei Presepi in Naples
The Via dei Presepi in Naples
The Via dei Presepi in Naples

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