The Nativity Crib of Tre Colli | Calci

The nativity scene, set up in the hamlet of Tre Colli in the Church of the Madonna delle Grazie, has as its 2021 theme that of the “details” that have characterised the territory of Calci for years and given it the appellation “Valgraziosa”.

Tre Colli was a leading player in the glory of the Republic of Pisa with over a hundred mills, now unfortunately no longer preserved, arranged along the edges of the streams, offering the territory high economic importance until the end of the 1800s.

With its terraced olive groves and numerous dry stone walls, which are still in a good state of preservation, the Calces area is identified with the art of quarrying the extremely hard Verruca stone, used for the construction of durable millstones, making excellent flour exported throughout the Mediterranean and building dry stone walls.

The Tre Colli craft nativity scene represents all this in a space inside the small sanctuary dedicated to the Madonna delle Grazie.

The arrival of the Befana (kindly old witch) on 6 January is also remembered.