Salerno's Luci d'Artista is the brightest event of the year
22 December 2022
4 minutes
A phantasmagoria of illuminations awaits you in Salerno from 19 November to 15 January 2023: a couple of months to witness the unmissable spectacle of the event. This is one of the most eagerly awaited annual events for the city in Campania, an occasion full of charm that is now in its sixteenth year.
For a perfect trip, starting from Salerno, consider including a tour of the nearby Amalfi Coast. The winter months offer unprecedented landscapes, mild temperatures and tranquillity, as well as the advantages of last-minute bookings at very favourable prices.
The itinerary for enjoying the best of Luci d'Artista
Every single part of Salerno is enveloped in a special magic when Luci d’Artista - meaning Artists’ Lights - is lit. The whole city is a riot of LED-powered illuminations, for a luminous celebration with low environmental impact.
This year's theme is Fiabe, Aurora e il Giardino Incantato (Fairy Tales, Dawn and the Enchanted Garden) and there are four thematic routes: Myth, Dream, Time and Christmas.
To see them at their best, start from the central Piazza Flavio Gioia, where you can stroll through a forest populated by fairy tale characters such as Pinocchio and Alice in Wonderland, elements of nature linked to autumn and spring, and Christmas themes among sleighs, trees and a Madonna and Child.
Stroll down Corso Vittorio Emanuele, the main shopping street, to Piazza Portanova to see the Christmas tree, a truly majestic display. Then explore Piazza Caduti di Brescia and Piazza Monsignor Grasso, where luminous surprises await you, and then move on to Via dei Mercanti, the most colourful street.
Finish off with two very special effects, which are also the new features of the 2022/2023 edition.
The first is the Prehistoric Garden in the Villa Comunale. If you have never thought of seeing luminous T-Rexes, mammoths and brontosauruses, you will find them here: the little ones, and adults too, will be amazed. Finally, there is this year's new addition, the new Santa Teresa beach: sea and sand in winter will never have seemed so stunning.
Luci d'Artista in Salerno and the Amalfi Coast: one love in Campania
There are only 25 kilometres separating Salerno from the Amalfi Coast, which can be travelled by land or by ferry from the port, making it a truly unmissable stop on your trip to Campania.
After strolling around Luci d'Artista, check the weather forecast for the main towns on the Amalfi Coast and you will discover the typical mild temperatures of the Mediterranean climate, even in autumn and winter. There may be a few slightly cooler days, but all the others are warm and sunny, which is not uncommon.
Book a hotel or B&B on the fly and take advantage of the many last-minute offers for a tour of the Amalfi Coast.
Amalfi, Positano, Sorrento, Vietri sul Mare, Ravello, Castellammare di Stabia, Atrani, Praiano, Maiori and Meta are famous and exclusive places, where many facilities remain open even outside the summer months.
The sea in winter: a tour of the Amalfi Coast
To best enjoy a holiday on the Amalfi Coast in winter, one is spoilt for choice. In Sorrento, the Christmas tree in Piazza Tasso is a sight to behold. The Spiaggia Grande beach is transformed into an open-air disco on 31 December, and the Christmas markets and Chocolate Village are set up in Piazza Veniero throughout the last month of the year.
In Amalfi, the magnificent village is artistically decorated, including the Duomo. Walk through the streets of the centre and follow the pipers. The festoons, the markets, the live music, everything here is beautiful. In Minori you can enjoy a tour of artistic nativity scenes, in a festival with ancient roots and all-Italian craftsmanship. Ravello, on the other hand, is the right venue to attend the Christmas Concert in the splendid Niemeyer auditorium, designed by the architect of the same name, Oscar Niemeyer.
Then move on to Atrani, an adorable mediaeval town, the smallest on the Coast. The narrow streets and the Piazzetta, the picturesque steps overlooking the sea and the arches all glitter with Christmas lights, transforming the town into a treasured jewel. In the Church of Santa Maria Del Bando, a craftsman creates nativity scenes in small glass bells.
Sample traditional Campania Christmas sweets: zeppole (doughnuts), struffoli (fried balls of sweet dough), mostaccioli (biscuits).
And while summer dishes are dominated by fish, now you can taste the speciality of the season: mushrooms. In fact, the wooded areas of the area are home to various types. And it is also the right time to try mushroom pizza, especially the fried pizza version with mushroom cream.
Luci d'Artista is an annual and now regular event to look forward to and celebrate the Christmas holidays in perfect Italian style, with that flavour of Campania that makes everything brighter, more entertaining and authentic.
Photo credit: Vito Fusco - Courtesy of Authentic Amalfi Coast Archive.
