Bethlehem Lighted Village Inn - Fontanini® 5" Collection

Bethlehem Lighted Village Inn - Item 55625 Fontanini® 5" Collection.

The Fontanini Nativity tradition is carried on here at the House of Fontanini.Com but started over 100 years ago in Bagni da Lucca Italy in the hills of Tuscany be Emanuele Fontanini. He opened his first shop in 1908, establishing a family business that has grown from humble beginnings to a world-renowned creator of heirloom-quality Nativity sets and figurines. The figures, made of durable polymer, are meticulously sculpted, then molded and hand-painted by skilled artisans in a multi-generational, family-guided process.  Today, the House of Fontanini.Com carries the tradition on by providing retail and e-commerce sales direct to the consumer.  For over 25 years, we are proud to be a locally owned small business that not only sells Fontanini - but loves it too!  Here in our Minnesota warehouse we love to say our mission statement - "Telling His Story, one piece at a time."

In biblical times, travelers walked from town to town on unpaved roads, seeking shelter in public inns along the way. These two-story inns were not much larger than private homes. The ground floor was an open room where the animals rested. The upper floor consisted of small rooms and a flat roof. The inn was built near the town well, so the travelers could get fresh water for themselves and their animals. Inns provided a place to sleep, but travelers often brought their own bedding and good. Guests enjoyed the opportunity to meet people from other towns, and exchange stories and information. Wealthier guests could sleep in a private room on the 2nd floor. People with less money would have slept on the flat roof or even in the first floor by the animals.