On the Road ... Luci d'Artista in Salerno

A stroll through Salerno's festive holiday lights.

It’s the last day of the year. Whether it’s been the best of years or the worst of years, it’s time to close out 2022. Over the last year I’ve spent more time on the road to Salerno than anywhere else, but mostly for not very fun medical reasons. But last week in Salerno while standing under a canopy of twinkling blue lights at the foot of a massive Tree of Life light display I thought, “Now here’s something fun to share about Salerno.”

Although the closest large city to the Amalfi Coast, Salerno isn’t usually at the top of many travelers must-see lists while in the area. What a shame! It’s a great city and a place I really enjoyed researching and sharing more about in my guidebook Moon Amalfi Coast. The historic center is vibrant and full of unexpected history and, somewhat surprisingly, one of the best times of year to see Salerno is during Luci d’Artista in the winter.

Starting back in 2006, Salerno was inspired by the Luci d’Artista in Torino to create its own artistic light displays throughout the city. And to great success! Each year the city is decked out in holiday lights and cheer from November to January and attracts visitors from Italy and around the world.

Although this year’s festival is a bit smaller and shorter (December 2, 2022 - January 29, 2023) due to high energy costs, it’s still a festive time to visit Salerno. Last week we took a stroll through Salerno to check out the Luci d’Artista on a balmy December evening - perfect for enjoying the lights and the atmosphere. We started down the wide pedestrian only shopping street, Corso Vittorio Emanuele, which glittered with gold and silver lights called Pioggia di Luci (Rain of Lights).

At Piazza Portanova a soaring white and gold Christmas tree marked the crossroads of the Corso Vittorio Emanuele and the narrow Via dei Mercanti leading into the medieval center of Salerno.

Every year there’s a theme to the Luci d’Artista lights, often featuring fairytales, myths, nature, and local historical sights. This year for the 17th edition of Luci d’Artista the theme covers all the popular elements: il Mito, il Sogno, la Natura, il Natale (Myth, Dream, Nature, Christmas). We saw lights depicting the nativity, seasons of the year, clouds with sparkling lights for rain drops, whatever the collective noun of a group of gingerbread cookies is called, flowers, and wild animals.

And we didn’t even get close to covering it all! There are many more light displays that we didn’t get to on this stroll through Salerno. If you’re visiting, don’t miss the Villa Comunale, which this year is full of “mythical” animals. From the car I spotted a giant raring unicorn and a mammoth mammoth. Along the waterfront near Piazza della Concordia, I spotted a light display with stylized Greek columns and the famous scene from the Tomb of the Diver in Paestum by artist Sergio Vecchio.

So on this last day of 2022, I’m sending you light and many wishes for a beautiful 2023. See you in the new year.

Buon anno!

Laura