The wooded foothills of the Alps surround the attractive little town of Oberammergau with its many painted houses. This art came to Germany with the Baroque style from Italy and began to be widely followed in about 1660. The first houses were painted in this town one century later. Oberammergau has became world famous because of the Passion Plays performed here. After a terrible plague epidemic in 1633, which miraculously stopped just short of Oberammergau, the people of the village vowed to give a presentation of the Passion of Christ every ten years. The first of these took place in 1643. The 17C text was rewritten many times to meet contemporary taste. In 2000 some 550 000 spectators witnessed more then 100 performances given by the inhabitants from May to September. The roles are arduous, each presentation lasting all day, with a short intermission for the midday meal. The 1100 amateur actors prepare their parts a long time in advance and ii is not unusual to see men with the long hair and beards of the Apostles in the village streets months before the Passion Play festival begins.