A retired Manarola railwayman, Mario Andreoli, spent more than fifty years climbing the hillside above the village to install a vast Nativity scene assembled from recycled materials — over 300 life-sized figures, 17,000 LED bulbs, hammered together into one of the largest illuminated cribs in the world. It is lit between 8 December and the end of January.
If you're anywhere near the Cinque Terre in December, time a Manarola visit for after sunset. The hill above the village blazes with light, the cliff houses are reflected in the harbour, and the village is mostly empty of day-trippers. The walk up to inspect the figures close up takes thirty minutes from the harbour.