 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 <unk> 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 . 
