I'm no friend of nativity scenes, but there i s no Christmas in Italy without a presepe (I could also do without Christmas, but that's a different story). Tuscany's creches come in all shapes and materials and whilst the manger scene at my in -laws is made of plastic other households show off elaborately carved artisan figures under their Christmas tree. However, th e most exciting cribs are found outdoors or in former barns and pigsties, where real people freeze off their sandal wearing feet for their method acting performance of Mary or Joseph (the newborn is mostly fake though). Perhaps my Christmas crib aversion has to do with being a mother and knowing that the last thing you need right after having given birth is an incessant stream of strangers popping in to say hello. All the jolly men and rejoicing animals jamming it around the crib and everything Maria probably hoped for was a female friend to help her get up - u nl...