A natural setting in the enchanting setting of Monte Orco.

The emotion that the Living Nativity of Tricase gives is unique and unrepeatable. The natural scenery makes it unique and precious for its beauty, offering an indelible memory to those who visit it for the first time and to those who have seen it appear for thirty-one years, near Christmas, on the hill of Monte Orco. 35,000 sparkling light bulbs serve as a prelude to the living representation of the story of the birth of Jesus. In fact, all the characters portrayed in the Gospel narratives are interpreted and staged by the locals in the representations of the most ancient Salento crafts. In the past, among the many modest jobs, there were the shoemaker, the tanner, the pelacane to make rich, the poor territory of our land and still there were the mill and the oil mill, simple tools, able to transform with the diligence of a donkey, the fruits of man's effort, to give a minimum of satisfaction.

And, meanwhile, the women were at home concentrated in spinning or busy preparing the genuine "orecchiette" dough. The LIVING CRIB of Tricase is not only a folklorist re-enactment of the territory, but a scrupulous reproduction of Roman historical settings, with the palace of Herod, the house of the Romans, but also the synagogue with soldiers in costume. Finally, you can further understand the beauty of Monte Orco, its grandeur with the view of a breathtaking panorama that it offers to visitors, just before entering the humble Grotto of the Nativity. There, in front of the entrance, is the flame of the Light of Peace, which has come from Bethlehem as it does every year. God's love and grace come to us, symbolically, from Palestine