In Italy there's a popular custom of setting up Christmas nativity dioramas for the holidays and beyond, and this area over centuries became the place to go. This street is famous for its nativity scene decorations and figurines, many in the form of miniatures. I could feel my jaw dropping walking by, admiring the deft handiwork of skilled artisans, many who've honed their traditional craft for generations. On a weekend in April I visited with curiosity, since in the States, it's not common to see enclaves of such specialized holiday producers showcasing and selling their goods year round. The closest I can think of are certain Christmas "villages" or really cluster of Christmas retailers in places like Bronner's in Frakenmuth, Michigan. Via San Gregorio Armeno is a far cry from the glitzy decked out lights and fake snow, more like its low key vintage-styled European uncle. The street is only about a block and a half or so, with probably two dozen stores. Among these, mixed in are many peripherally related souvenir shops, selling imported souvenirs aimed at tourists looking for cheap trinkets. However you can generally discern the ones with locally produced items, often with makers working on pieces inside the store. Even as I walked along and admired the nativity figurines, some no taller than a couple inches, the minutiae of smallest details captured in the fold of a garment, or a twinkle of an eye, I wondered how long these shops could sustain with competition from foreign made copycats, tightening purse strings, and lessening interest from younger generations to go into this type of cottage industry. While this question isn't an easy one to answer, I hope there will be those that continue to appreciate these stories and support their work. read more

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I LOVE it here. Its called Christmas Alley by the Americans. Its blocks and blocks of stores and vendors selling all sorts of wonderful things. We first went in the fall and it was lively, but nothing like visiting in the middle of December! Italians come out in droves to pick out new additions to nativity scenes and trees. There are some touristy shops too but thats part of the fun. Lots of pride and workmanship go into these items and it is a beautiful thing to see. The tiniest details are so interesting to see. You can also grab snacks from many vendors along the tight winding streets. This is a must do thing if you come to Napoli! read more

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This is a cute little street, leading right up to the main street in historic Napoli: the Via Tribunali. This little gem here is filled with lots of shops. Most of them selling miniatures. Miniature figures, miniature buildings, fountains, waterfalls, animals. And everything you need for a native scene for christmas. It's looks just all so cute and amazing. I could image converting a whole room at home into a miniature setting. They got great stuff here. Besides these shops there are some souvenir shops and jewelry shops and street vendors. Quality is fine and prices are low. The street itself is a sight on its own right. Especially with the amazing tower in the middle. It's just a beautiful little street. Short, but surely a must-do. read more

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Some interesting nativity miniatures with all the tiny accents you could need for your barky/mossy nativity carving of your choosing. Large and small mangers, statues, street scenes. Characters from traditional to creepy to football players to Queen Elizabeth. A narrow street with very small stores that are often the workshops of these artisan nativity makers -- who all seem inspired to make the same exact houses and figurines... :( It would also be better named Nativity Alley, rather than Christmas Alley, as every store specializes only in that aspect of Christmas decor. It is an interesting experience to walk down this lane packed with far too many people, and shop owners who mostly don't offer the warm Christmas fuzzies. Really sorry to say, but there was not a Buon Natale to be found on the entire street. Shockingly to us, some figurines and mini-mangers look like they were made in China. Identical from shop to shop. 30 artists somehow inspired to paint the same exact figurines in the exact same way? You could visit one thorough store, and see most of the things you would see on the rest of the street. If we had been prepared for the reality, it may have prevented some disappointment. Hope it helps someone else, and maybe you will find that one unique nativity item for your collection. Still worth a look, but we were expecting better variety and a happy Christmas vibe. read more

How enjoyable it was to stroll through the narrow streets of Naples to find a little bit of Christmas all year long. The beautiful nativity sets, statures, figurines are so fun to see. Each one offers a little taste of the local atmosphere of Naples. My favorites were the motion figurines, especially the ones depicting pizza makers placing the pizzas into the ovens! Be sure to find this street when you are visiting Naples! read more

Don't pass up this street without browsing the many crafts displayed along the way. An array of interesting things to wonder about. Just take the chiles; a good luck charm, itself has a history. My regret, I should have bought the wood piece that measures spaghetti for specific head counts. My favorite sighting was a tambourine with a painted canvas. read more

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We love European Christmas markets, so when we had the opportunity to visit San Gregorio Armeno, we jumped at the chance. For those that don't know, a nativity is the centrepiece of an Napoli Christmas celebration and boy are they intricate. These aren't those typical boxsets you might pick up from Target, instead typically a scene is made up of an intricate background piece which can be anywhere up to four feet high and include running water and places across multiple levels for figures. First off, these background pieces aren't nearly as expensive as you might think... or it could have been that we visited the week before Christmas and so they knocked them all down because they'd have expected the locals to already have one by that point. But the street doesn't just have those, but shops and shops and shops of stores that sell the figures too. And the week before Christmas, it is busy. But pleasantly so because everyone was in the Christmas spirit except for the one weird shop that charged entrance. But that was an oddity. read more

This is the area to come and imagine how the streets used to look hundreds of years ago. Each shop has a table outside (selling junk and trinkets), the cobblestone streets are busy with people and scooters, and there are churches and caffè around each corner. The most interesting parts are the miniature stores that sell thousands of tiny statues and pieces for nativities and Christmas scenes. There are men sitting out front painting the pieces. Also along the way you can find delicious gelato and a few vegan/vegetarian caffè and pastry shops. Don't pass up the museum of torture, which is small but has enough artifacts and gory details to turn your stomach. read more

Nothing great here. It maybe because we went in Feb and there is not much action at this place. Not sure if the Christmas experience is better here. read more