The Manger of Lingan Sand

The Nativity scene is the symbol of Christmas par excellence in our culture and what I like about this Christmas symbol is that it is multiform and creative because it can be declined in many different ways depending on the material used to set it up. I have already spoken to you about Poffabro where the alleys of the village are animated by handmade nativity scenes of different shapes and colors, or figures of the Nativity scene in carved wood of Villach.

In Lignano Sabbiadoro every year since the 14 editions, the Nativity scene is made of sand, the same fine and golden sand that characterizes this stretch of beach overlooking the Adriatic Sea.
The Sand Nativity scene of Lignano Sabbiadoro is an initiative of local associations (Dome Aghe and Savalon d' Aur) and is usually open from 8 December to the end of January every year. The Nativity scene is only one of the initiatives that are organized in Lignano Sabbiadoro during the Christmas period, but for me it is definitely the most beautiful and exciting.
Every year the Accademia della Sabbia di Roma brings to Lignano international artists specialized in sand sculptures who work for over a month on a theme that is suggested to them by the clients and prepare the show that will be visited by many people during the Christmas period.
This year the artists came from Portugal, Belgium and Turkey. Their work was to create an exhibition path of 400 square meters consisting of statues and low reliefs that retrace one of the important historical moments of Friuli Venezia Giulia, that of the Great War that in 2017 celebrates the centenary of its end.
Walking along the route you can admire scenes of daily life in Friuli at the beginning of the 20th century, soldiers with faithful donkeys directed to the front, women with panniers who supplied men on the war line, trenches and barbed wire.
It is precisely in a trench, between gas masks and barbed wire that the scene of the Nativity is set up: Mary, Joseph and Child Jesus transmit affection and warmth despite the context around them is that of war and pain.
At the end of the path between the sand statues there is the Yule Tree where visitors can leave their desire, hope for the New Year.
The Sand Nativity Scene is set up in a tensostructure heated that is placed directly on the beach near the Terrazza a Mare of Lignano Sabbiadoro, the entrance to the Nativity Scene is free of charge and the visit can take between 15-30 minutes depending on how much you intend to linger on the various statues.
At the end of the tour you can continue with a walk along the sea or stop in one of the bars in the center to sip a hot chocolate with cream or tea. Until January 7, there are also Christmas markets in Piazza Fontana with a food and wine area and the ice skating rink.