8 – Enzo Mosca’s artistic nativity scene

The room displays wooden models of Sulmona’s main monuments as well as the work of talented craftsman Enzo Mosca. The nativity scene, which is made entirely of wood and covers 12 square metres, was the result of four years of work. It consists of ten panels where 1130 wooden pieces, all hand-carved and painted, have been prepared and fixed: 558 characters, 14 horses, 42 donkeys, 27 oxen, 14 dogs, 14 goats, 113 sheep, 9 cats, 7 pigs, 110 birds, 3 chariots, 6 carts, 2 carriages, 10 wheelbarrows and 43 houses, with 140 artefacts and tools. Many of the ancient trades are represented: knife-grinder, coopers, cobbler, shoemaker, basket-maker, carpenter, baker, rope-maker, farrier, mason, stonemason, sculptor, chair-maker and saddler. Some female figures are wearing typical Abruzzo costumes.

It is a faithful and passionate reconstruction of the life and trades of Sulmona in the late 19th and early 20th century, which the author meticulously depicted by drawing on childhood memories and stories from the elderly listened by the fire on winter evenings. It should be meticulously observed to appreciate the countless scenes and be transported back to a world that has now disappeared, so as to rediscover it with a little nostalgia, tenderness and more than a smile.  

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