 In 2008 , the province of Trento , Italy provided sculpted wooden figures and animals as well as utensils to create depictions of daily life . The scene featured seventeen figures with nine depicting the Holy Family , the Magi , and the shepherds . The nine figures were originally donated by Saint Vincent Pallotti for the nativity at Rome 's Church of Sant 'Andrea della Valle in 1842 and eventually found their way to the Vatican . They are dressed anew each year for the scene . The 2008 scene was set in Bethlehem with a fountain and a hearth representing regeneration and light . The same year , the Paul VI Audience Hall exhibited a nativity designed by Mexican artists . 
