Festa di Santa Domenica - the most spectacular light festival in Italy

Sandra Marx | Live the World

November 23, 2022

Colorful and spectacular light installations are a huge thing in **South Italy** and especially in **Apulia**. Every city lights up the streets with unique and wonderful lights during every **holiday**, events, and on the celebrations of the city saints.

Picture © Credits to Facebook/ Offical Facebook page Festa di Santa Domenica

The most impressive "light set up" is without a doubt in Scorrano, a small city of 7000 inhabitants in the province of Lecce** in **Apulia. The incomparable way of celebrating the saint protector of their city, “Santa Domenica”, makes it the worldwide capital of illumination. Millions of lamps and lights are paired with futuristic technology; the event is always a huge success and about 400.000 people from all over the world come every year to witness it. The small city gained a lot of fame due to its spectacular light sculptures during the Santa Domenica day, which usually takes place every year from the 5th to the 8th of July.

Picture © Credits to Sandra Marx

Four of the** biggest light companies** in the world, all with **an apulian** origin, challenge each other in the historical center of this small town. This event however, used to take place even before the time of electricity. Back then, they used to put together arcs and wood structures with oil lamps, which later became petrol and finally electric lamps. Nowadays, the materials used to build those structures and scaffoldings that are taller than **30 meters, **are connected through an iron wire without a single nail, screw or bolt. This special way of craftmanship makes it possible to transform the city into a magical & colorful land for 5 days. 

Each piece of unique architecture has special light shows, accompanied by a suitable background music, that enchants all visitors by making it impossible to look away.

The surrounding area has many **wonderful beaches,** so it's perfect and recommended to combine a relaxed summer getaway in July with this amazing and surely unforgettable event. 

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