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A special nativity scene

They all came in their full regalia to enliven the nativity scene in any home that welcomes them. Handmade and therefore unique, they were created at the Capelas Museum-Workshop, in the Azorean island of São Miguel. The workshop, developed by master Manuel João Melo, hosts 35 different crafts, including pottery (lucky us). Two craftswomen are currently in charge of producing nativity scene figurines; they carry on a legacy taken to the island by Vila Nova de Gaia potters, brought in to work at the Lagoa ceramics factories. The figurines are sold year-round; those in the know say that it is the faces – particularly the eyes – that seduce those who can't resist their charm.