COVID-19 pandemic restrictions are proving costly to shops and businesses worldwide - and in Naples, they may be fatal to artisan workshops in the street of San Gregorio Armeno.
Located in the historic city of Naples, in Italy, this narrow street is the most famous centre in the world for producing small statues embellishing Nativity scenes, the so-called ‘presepe’, which is present in many houses at Christmas time.
Artisans have been working and keeping this centuries-old tradition alive in this street for generations, but since the first lockdown in March 2020, they are struggling to survive. Recently, after weeks of forced closure, they finally re-opened, but that is not enough.