by Antonia Casini
Full streets and squares. There are Pisans and also tourists. At 11pm, everyone on the Arno for the fireworks, an explosion of colors on the streets that run along the golden Arno. 2024 edition of the Luminara, there is a desire to celebrate after the last few years of Covid. And the wait is worth it. The bulbs resist. “Over 95% remained lit”, comments the councilor for Historical Traditions Filippo Bedini. The linen, which supports the flames, “has been enriched and partly restored, like that of the Church of the Spina”.
This year “we also added the writing on the Ponte di Mezzo to remember the saint”. “In short, this edition will go down in history.”
After hundreds of years, the tradition repeats itself. The history of Luminara is ancient. It dates back to before the 1600s, but it was from 1688 that this event, which attracted thousands of people, became stronger, as Professor Gabriella Garzella, now also president of the Pisan Historical Society, explained to us. In that year the remains of the saint were transferred to the Cathedral: “An astonishing celebration. The historical sources are full of details. The whole city took part in the procession. Since then the Luminara has become a fixed event: a glass, three fingers of water with oil, fire and ‘linens'”.
It starts at 3pm with the lighting, until dusk. However, you have to wait until the sun finally disappears to appreciate all the magic: the buildings light up one after the other. Anyone who has never seen the show is left speechless. Some bubbling can be heard, but this too is part of the most magical night in Pisa.
Children, adults, foreigners: the Lungarni in this case unite. It’s a shame for so much rubbish left, it will be the operators’ job to clean it up at dawn. Because today is another day, that of the Palio.
