The Nativity Scene Museum and Civic Art Gallery of Imperia is housed inside the historic Palazzo del Collegio, in the heart of Porto Maurizio.

The museum exhibits an extraordinary collection of nativity scene statues attributed to the Genoese sculptor Anton Maria Maragliano and his school, along with an important collection of paintings dedicated to the Ligurian figurative tradition.

The most precious nucleus of the collection is made up of 113 statuettes : 81 human figures and 32 animals, commissioned by the Berio family of Porto Maurizio between 1724 and 1741.

The first group was sculpted directly by Anton Maria Maragliano , while the subsequent parts were made by his school.

The statues surprise with their realism and refinement: the limbs are jointed and many characters wear precious fabric clothes decorated with tulle, sequins, embroidery and silver thread .

The figurines are displayed on various levels within a large structure reminiscent of a comet . Plays of light and perspective enhance the figures and make the display particularly evocative.

Alongside the wooden composition are two canvases depicting the Nativity and the Adoration of the Magi , works by the artist Francesco Bruno , who is probably also credited with creating the original backdrop for the Nativity scene.

The museum tour also includes educational and multimedia stations , through which it is possible to learn more about the history of the Nativity scene, the artistic techniques used and the complex restoration work that returned the works to their original splendor.

In 2008 , the Nativity scene underwent a major restoration. During the same period, the museum spaces were redesigned to better showcase the collection and allow visitors to better enjoy the works.

The other rooms of the museum house the collection of the Civic Art Gallery , with particular attention to the figure of Gregorio De Ferrari , an important Baroque painter originally from Porto Maurizio.

The Rebaudi Collection also allows us to retrace the evolution of Ligurian painting from the beginning of the 18th century to the mid-20th century.

Among the artists present in the Pinacoteca are Raffaele Giannetti, Ernesto Rayper, Alberto Issel, Oscar Saccorotti, Emanuele Rambaldi and Rita Saglietto , offering a significant overview of the Ligurian figurative tradition between the eighteenth and twentieth centuries.

Nativity figurines are not simply decorative figures: many have articulated limbs and real fabric clothing, crafted with precious materials and refined details. This feature allowed the characters' poses to be modified, making each scene particularly vivid and realistic.