Fontaniniby Roman Figure Centennial Nativity for 5" Scale

"The cattle are lowing, the baby awakes; but little Lord Jesus, no crying He makes" comes to mind as do sentiments from years gone by as a child gazing into a nativity set that my mother owned. This set captures the wonder of that night more than 2,000 years ago when Heaven broke in upon Earth, the gift of God's Son given... and angels singing of peace on earth, goodwill toward men. Such a humble stable with stall, so reminiscent of Bethlehem in Judea. This set will bring a sacred atmosphere into your home. My Gloria angel is blue, which I like better than the green or red. Attention to detail is magnificent, visible in the water pots, wall and stone texture, and the six figures themselves. This creche is made of molded porcelain, quite heavy for its size; it comes with a single light bulb at the top in back, which can be plugged in with a generous cord and turned on or off with a rolling switch. I placed the creche under my Christmas tree and hid the cord under our tree skirt; a light on my lowest tree branch acts as the star. The creche could be set up on any piece of furniture against a wall to hide the cord. Each figure is made of heavy polymer plastic that cannot be broken - handy, since I have young children who like to play with the pieces. Fontanini also makes wise men, camels, shepherds, and sheep in the 5-inch size if you want to expand later on (the 5-inch size is just right, not tiny, and not huge). This set is expensive, so join Amazon Prime to get free shipping. Nothing else on the market compares in detail and quality, in my opinion.

I love the craftsmanship. It's very similar to the crèche my family had when I was a small child. Unfortunately first set received was significantly damaged and had to be returned. The replacement was also damaged, not as significantly as the first, as we were able to glue the pieces back onto the structure. Location and size of breakage allowed us to repair and now I think most people would not notice it had been damaged. Amazon customer service was excellent as usual. They sent replacement without waiting for us to return the first unit, allowing us to have a crèche for Christmas.I highly recommend the product but if you can locate a local dealer you may want to try them instead. If not, order early so if product is damaged you have time to receive a replacement.

I ordered this 3 days before Christmas and with 2 day Prime I got it Christmas Eve. I bought the used set as the Amazon wording said there were just a few packaging pieces missing. When I opened It I was pleasantly surprised. There was only 2 broken pieces of Styrofoam. I was able to take them together for repackaging after Christmas.As for the Nativity set itself I am very pleased that each piece was perfect - no damage of any kind. Also, my wife and I love it. I plan on adding figures for next Christmas.The only reason for 4 stars as I think it was costly even for the used price.

I love the Fontanini nativity set. It can be hands on for the children yet realistic pieces. I have a set that I received as a gift when I was first married so I decided to buy a set for my daughter that was married last September. I gave it to her for Christmas and she left it in the box until this Christmas. Unfortunately, when she opened the box to decorate this year for Christmas the fence was broken into 3 pieces. I am so disappointed. I consider this a keepsake set.

This is one of the most beautiful nativity sets I have seen. The manger is very detailed and I always have to stop and look at it anytime I walk by. The figures are just as beautiful and aren't made of a material that can easily be broken. All figures in the picture arrived unharmed and everything was packed very well. I did some misgivings based on some of the negative comments I have read but I cannot say enough how very happy I am that I bought this set. It truly adds the beauty and true meaning of Christmas.

This nativity was exactly what I was looking for, and I was hesitant paying so much for it ($138) but I figured it would be worth it. It comes with everything pictured: donkey, bull, angel, Joseph, Mary, manger & baby Jesus. To my dismay, when the nativity arrived and I took it out of the box, and I noticed that in the back wall of the piece, you could see where a nail came through it (the nail for the fixture that holds the light's cord to the back). I also wasn't very happy with the paint job on the angel. She looked like she just got into a fight. I've posted pictures of these 2 issues. I love this set, but for the money paid for it, I thought it would've been better quality.

This nativity scene was just delivered to my house this afternoon and I just set it up. I love it so far BUT... I can't get the angel to stay on the nail that's provided. It seems like the hole in the back of the angel is not deep enough to get a good grip on the nail. Any suggestions anyone?

After searching for several years for a new Nativity set, I was delighted to find this one.The stable is rustic and realistic down to the wooden door, water jugs, lantern and eventhe signs of wear and tear that you would expect in an animal stable. I have not seen anyothers that compare. The included light is just enough to highlight all the beautiful features.The figures are beautiful, nicely colored and fit perfectly. I had planned to order additional figuresnext year but was so happy with the basic set, I ordered several more right away.