The Enchanting Luci d’Artista Light Exhibition

One of my favorite things about studying Italian at Accademia Italiana is the opportunity to truly immerse myself in the Italian culture. I love being able to take part in many cultural activities like touring historic museums and monuments, enjoying national holidays like a true Italian, and joyfully eating tasty Italian dishes and wines. This weekend, I was fortunate enough to tour the famous Luci d’Artista.

Commenced on November 11, 2017 at Villa Comuale, the Luci d’Artista is an exhibition of dazzling holiday lights. For years around this time of year the parks, piazzas, and streets of Salerno are transformed into an aurora of sparking lights.

I started my Saturday evening touring the Villa Comunale. The park was transferred into an alluring forest filled with numerous illuminated animals including a snake, bear, lion, polar bear, and many others. The beautiful scene was like walking through a zoo full of majestic animals that came to life through radiant holiday lights.

After touring the Villa Comunale I headed to Piazza Sant’Agostino where the lights reflected a motif of the Amalfi Coast’s iconic symbols of lemons and Mediterranean ceramics. Known for its immense and luscious lemons and ceramic arts, beautifully crafted lemons and ceramics resemblance pieces laminated the Piazza and reflected the strong emphasis these elements have on the regions culture.

My favorite portion of the Luci d’Artista was the marine and Neptunian filled Piazza Gioia Flavio. I truly felt like I was wandering through the aquatic kingdom of the Roman God Neptune ruling with his golden and powerful trident. Neptune’s court featured many nautical sea creatures including dolphins, jellyfish, mermaids, and seahorses. The spirit of the Mediterranean was splendidly mirrored in this enchanting scene.

The Luci d’Artista holiday light exhibition will run until January 21, 2018, so if you find yourself in Italy I highly recommend taking a trip to Salerno to see the stunning light display for yourself. I promise it will leave you mesmerized and full of holiday spirit.

I also recommend seeing the enormous Christmas tree in the Piazza Sedile di Portanova and the Ferris wheel at Piazza della Concordia that allows locals and tourist to take in a breathtaking view of Salerno and the Amalfi and Cilento Coasts.

This Article was written by Danielle Randall

Photos By: Danielle Randall