Street Cleaners' Nativity Scene

A masterpiece born from the hands of Roman street cleaners

In the heart of Rome, at the AMA headquarters on Via dei Cavalleggeri 5—just meters from Bernini's Colonnade and St. Peter's Square—lies one of the most famous and moving artistic Nativity scenes in the capital. The Street Cleaners' Nativity Scene was born in 1972 from the passion of Giuseppe Ianni, a municipal street cleaner who, along with his colleagues, began collecting and assembling stones, tuff, and recycled materials to bring an entire 2,000-year-old Palestinian village to life. Since then, the work has grown year after year, becoming a symbol of popular Rome and its deep bond with Christmas tradition.

A reconstruction with surprising details

What makes this Nativity scene unique is its obsessive attention to detail. The scenery reproduces the Middle Eastern architecture of the era with over a hundred tuff stone houses featuring wooden doors and balconies, dozens of meters of miniature paved streets, rivers crossed by bridges, arched aqueducts, springs, and even a working well. Thousands of stones were used, many donated from all over the world. The village population counts more than 270 figures, accompanied by hundreds of sheep, camels, donkeys, and oxen, while hand-carved caves and small lights recreate the atmosphere of a living, inhabited village.

A tradition that unites the city

Every year, during the Advent season, the Nativity scene is opened to the public with a solemn blessing rite that attracts both city and religious authorities. The ceremony, attended by the heads of AMA and the Municipality of Rome, officially kicks off the Christmas visits, the most anticipated moment of the year. Visitors to the Nativity scene receive a blessed bundle of heather—the plant historically used by street cleaners to make their brooms—in a gesture that intertwines devotion, labor history, and civic identity.

In the heart of Rome, between the Vatican and tradition

Located in Rome, in the Lazio region, right on the border with Vatican City, the Street Cleaners' Nativity Scene is a favorite stop for Romans and increasingly known to international visitors. Its location in the Borgo district makes it easily accessible after a visit to St. Peter's Basilica. It is an authentic testament to how the great Italian Nativity tradition can be born from the ground up, through the dedication of workers who transformed waste materials into a collective work of art, now one of the most visited in the city during the holidays.

• Conceived in 1972 by street cleaner Giuseppe Ianni
• Over 270 figures and a hundred tuff stone houses
• Just steps from Bernini's Colonnade and St. Peter's
• Free admission, visits by reservation