Our Fontanini Nativity

_{All photos on this page are by the author, sockii, of our Fontani display from several years.}

I shot this video after finishing the set-up of our nativity in 2014. Hopefully it will give you a chance to explore and see all of the detail in the various figurines, buildings, and scenery. We have added a few non-Fontanini, handmade pieces we purchased while in Naples, Italy, earlier this year, but I'd say the display is 99% pure Fontanini.

The House of Fontanini was established in 1908 by Emanuele Fontanini, in the village Bagni di Lucca in Tuscany, Italy. Today Fontanini is run by the fourth generation of the same family, working to preserve the rigorous methods of figurine production and quality of their sculpting has made the figures highly valued and collected worldwide. Their production process involves a design team working with a master sculptor, to come up with new ideas to keep expanding their lovely collection.

Fontaini nativity items begin as handsculpted figures in lifelike sizes, created from drawings by the Fontaini team. The original clay sculpture is then remade in beeswax, and then a mold is created from rubber or metal and from which figures will be mass produced for consumers and collectors. The molds can be refined as time goes on and will be used until a figure or item is retired from the collection. Each Fontanini figure is also hand-painted, making them all unique and one-of-a-kind - some especially collectible figures are hand-signed by the artist as well.

Fontanini nativity sets and figures come in different sizes, with the most popular perhaps being the 5-inch and also the 7.5-inch series. There are limitless variations possible with the many buildings, characters, and landscaping elements that can be added. The figures are made from polymer plastic so they resist breakage and are good for families with children or pets - although some accessories are quite small and could present a swallowing/choking risk, so please take care to keep very young children at a safe distance from the nativity display.

You can add all kinds of animals to the set as well: camels, horses, cows, pigs, turkeys, cats, and sheep. Small accessory kits include child's toys and games, musical instruments, fruit baskets, vegetation native to Bethlehem and so much more. Many of the buildings and tents include small lights which make for a beautiful and dramatic scene in the evening, and there is even a fountain with running water you can add to your collection as well.

The figures themselves are each charming and so beautifully crafted. From baby Jesus and Mary to Roman Guards, villagers and shepherds each with their own name and story, and of course angels and kings there to celebrate the birth of Christ.

Building a Fontanini scene can be a wonderful way to introduce a child to the story of Jesus and the Nativity, and inspire creativity and imagination with the many different ways you can build your Fontanini scene. We set up our own nativity on an old Italian cassapanca in our home collection, using then the storage boxes for the buildings and tents to expand it outward on several levels. We then covered them with white cloths, although this year we plan to build some more study stages for the set and use more of a desert-theme setting.

Basic building and structure elements for a Fontanini display

Want to get started yourself? 

If you want to get started with your own Fontanini nativity, then you'll of course need to begin with a manger scene. This piece is the building block for the entire series, compatible with other set pieces and figures designed for the 5" figurine editions. It comes with the seven figures shown here.

There are a few different styles of mangers available to go with the 5" figurines, if you want to expand them, but this is a good place to start. (Our older model is a little different, as you can see from the close-up photo below.)

The Kings' tents provide shelter for the traveling "wise men" who came to see the Christ. The styles have changed through the years but all of these are designed to work with the standard 5" figurines of the Fontanini series. They are great for part of a "dessert" scene leading up to the manger. We have some of the older tent styles which feature lighting, as well as some of the newer colorful, velvet tents.

To create your Bethlehem village, you can add various shops for poultry, produce, wine, olives, and much more! There's a carpenter and pottery shop as well, an inn for travelers...everything you could think that a bustling town could use.

Some of the older, larger building are hard to find today, only available from independent sellers or on eBay. But you can start building "small" with some of the shops and stands currently available on Amazon as highlighted here. Intricate and well-detailed, these are delightful pieces that will bring your nativity scene to life.

Of course if you want to build a truly magical yet realistic scene, you'll want to add some landscape elements to your Fontanini nativity. There are numerous types of trees you can add, including palm trees, olive trees and pines. There are small plants, flowers and cactuses, too. You can also add walls, bridges and sections meant to look like pieces of Roman ruins, water passages and more. The fun part is then designing your village and dessert-scene areas to your whim and fancy. Have fun - and try to build on multiple levels to create unique visual interest and activity.

Create your own magical world with Fontanini!

The possibilities truly start to become endless as you look to add more and more elements to your nativity display. Get some naughty cats you can have snooping around the produce carts (or fishing pond!) Add more sheep and other animals for the shepherds and villagers to tend to. Warning: it can become addictive hunting for new pieces every year!

The following is a list of suppliers on-line where you can select and buy Fontanini figurines, gift items and nativity sets. If you can't find what you're looking for on Amazon or eBay, check out these sources as well.

• House of Fontanini

  Billed as "America's Nativity Headquarters", they carry Fontanini as well as other collectible nativity sets.

• Roman Inc. - Fontanini

  Roman Inc. carries several lines of nativity figures and Christmas items, including of course Fontanini.

• Bronner's Christmas Wonderland - Fontanini Sets

  Large collection of Fontanini figures are available from this Michigan-based Christmas superstore.

• Yonder Star - Fontanini Nativity

  This storefront offers a wide variety of Fontanini nativity pieces, neatly sorted by category and size.

Thanks for checking out my page about Fontanini nativity sets. Do you have a family heirloom nativity, or are you thinking about starting to collect one? Leave a comment and share your story!