Despite the restrictions imposed by the current pandemic, Italy's cities are determined to put on a good show for the Christmas season, setting up illuminations to flood the streets and piazzas with imaginative light displays that boost morale and encourage shoppers.
The Venice “Natale di |Luce” 2020 (Christmas of Light) event opened on the 4th December and will lasts till the end of Carnival, 16th February 2021. A total 55 Xmas trees have been installed in the city and on the islands. Artist Fabrizio Plessi (noted for his “Falling House” and the “Vertical Sea” at the 54th Venice Biennale) triumphs with an iconic Tree of Life installation in Piazza San Marco, a gigantic composition of golden blocks inspired by the gold mosaics of St. Mark's Cathedral. Meanwhile, the Rialto Bridge is transformed by video projections of images of the leading Venetian artists and architects.
Turin is famed for its annual display of “Luci d'Artista” (Artistic Lights) and this year has been no exception. The display was inaugurated on the 30th October 2020 along with the opening of the Week of Contemporary Art. Artissima , the leading annual Fair of Contemporary Art, and dazzles visitors with a fantastic cavalcade of magical images, designed by over twenty visual artists. This year's “Luci d'Artista” festival runs until the 10th January 2021.
Padua's Christmas lights display is entitled: “Magia Non si Spegne” (Magic isn't Turned Off) and focusses on the theme of “Magic Mapping” where projections of shifting lights and colours are played over the facades of historic buildings to create the illusion of “a city of stars.”
Info: www.live.comune.venezia.it www.guidatorino.com www.nataleapadova.it