It is always worth taking a walk to the Mesma, where at this time of year the characteristic crib is the most admired attraction.
Turning the corner, right at the top of the hill leading to the Franciscan monks' monastery, I can finally breathe a sigh of relief and satisfaction: the beauty and light of this courtyard overlooking the lake and the Monte Rosa massif fill my soul, while the brisk morning air floods the lungs.
Even though we are now in December, there is no shortage of beautiful days: that's why I started from La Darbia early, armed with nordic walking sticks and comfortable boots. My goal was just to enjoy a relaxing walk up to the summit of Mount Mesma, to admire the famous crib that the monks set up each year inside the ancient church.
But let's go with order. The walk towards the top of the mountain is certainly easy and suggestive, immersed in the woods and articulated following the chapels of the Via Crucis or along the so-called "path of chestnut trees".
Both paths lead to the great architectural complex which includes the church and the convent of the friars, placed around two beautiful baroque cloisters: while the first served to offer shelter to the pilgrims, the second still houses a magnificent well that constituted the community's water supply.
After wandering around a bit admiring the paintings and sundials on the walls and having looked at the garden, which the friars work with inexhaustible passion, I set off for the church. Inside, peace and silence greet me, a comforting atmosphere of meditation permeates the environment, cheered by the crib that is set up every year during the Christmas period. And as always happens, even today I remain enchanted in front of the statuettes that move, the lights that recreate the alternation of sunrise and sunset, the scenario of the starry sky with the golden comet.
Long before the tradition of the tree to be decorated and the somewhat consumerist image of Santa Claus came from northern Europe, the Italian tradition relied on the crib to recreate the atmosphere of waiting for Christmas. On the contrary, according to the legend, St. Francis was the first to stage the birth of Jesus on the Holy Night of Greccio in 1223 with sculptures. In the following centuries, each epoch contributed to giving the crib its own symbolic and artistic imprint, as an expression of faith and popular devotion, so this Christmas tradition still survives today, both in private homes and in places of worship.
When I go out into the open air again, I stop for a moment to admire the marvelous panorama while I feel that the festive joy of Christmas has already infected me!