Up and down this cramped pedestrian street there are little clay statues of Cristiano Ronaldo, unmistakable in their form: legs spread shoulder-width apart, arms shooting at the ground, hair gelled into a luscious wave. There are also fat Ronaldos; weirdly skinny Ronaldos; Ronaldos with faces that resemble “The Scream,” by Edvard Munch; and many, many other Ronaldos that, in general, look very little like the actual Ronaldo. Together, the diminutive Ronaldos represent an ever-growing segment of the colorful Christmastime panoply on Via San Gregorio Armeno, a historical street in the heart of Naples, Italy, that has been known since the 1800s as a spiritual home of artisans specializing in traditional nativity scenes, or presepi. Many consider the traditional figurines from these Neapolitan workshops — intricate models of biblical figures crafted from wood, clay, wire and fine cloth — to be refined works of art. Yet casual visitors to the street these days might be more likely to encounter the clay statuettes of celebrities and pop culture figures that now dominate the famous street’s storefronts and curbside tables.

Source: New York Times December 20, 2018 12:59 UTC