The Nativity in the Well

the original underground crib of the Pozzo della Cava with life-size animated characters

The fascinating setting

The idea is a simple one: to recreate the environment and the atmospheres of Palestine in the year zero with life-size animated characters. And we do this in the big Etruscan cave at the end of the underground archaeological itinerary of Pozzo della Cava, in the Medieval Quarter of Orvieto.

Historical research

Every year costumes, furnishings and elements of scenery are made as closely as possible to the originals in the time of Christ, and every year it’s a new challenge, with a new layout and a new leitmotif, with a careful eye for the visitor of the Christmas Crib, who is physically inside the crib.

The characters

The realistic characters of this unusual under-ground Crib are life-size self-moving figures, made with the materials and techniques of special effects employed in the theatres and movies.

The movements

And then we add to our characters the movements, with hidden low-tension mechanisms. From the 2013-2014 edition, in addition to the mechanical characters, some animatroni have been inserted on the scene, whose motors are driven by special integrated microprocessors, to increase the naturalness of the movements. Furthermore, the lights and other “special effects” such as fires, burning embers, smoke or boiling milk contribute to increasing the realism of the nativity scene, alternating and renewing in every setting.

More details on the theme and materials on the nativity scene are available in the Download section and in the specific section of our YouTube channel