The pilgrimage town of Assisi in Italy's central Umbria region lights up this Christmas in honour of the first living Nativity scene created by St Francis in Greccio north of Rome in 1223. Assisi marks the 800th anniversary by illuminating its monuments and streets as part of the Natale in Assisi: Città Presepe programme with more than 250 events.

The video-mapping project will see Nativity-related scenes beamed onto the exterior of the Basilica di S. Francesco, dedicated to Italy's patron saint, and the Basilica di S. Chiara, among other landmarks around Assisi. The light show will be visible every day, from 17.00 to 01.00, until 7 January 2024. The Vatican also evokes the first Nativity of St Francis with its Christmas crib in St Peter's Square this year.