Christmas Lights in Salerno, Italy: The Luci d'Artista

The Luci d'Artista cultural event has been held in Salerno since 2006, and is undertaken in partnership with the northern Italian city of Turin, where the tradition began in 1998. The lights are a part of what makes Salerno such a great winter holiday destination compared to other Amalfi coast towns, as restaurants, shops, and lodgings stay open to accommodate the many visitors while other nearby towns are largely shuttered off-season.

Come join me as I share some of my photos from our visit to Salerno and their beautiful Christmas lights!

The Luci d'Artista lights are on display from November through late January; when we were in Salerno between January 13-17 this year (2014), a few displays were just beginning to be taken down but most were still in place.

Many displays are all in easy walking distance throughout the historic center of Salerno, but others are scattered further throughout the modern outlying areas of the city. If you're renting a car you should be able to find them all no problem, but walking is so much more fun!

Salerno itself is very easy to get to, wherever you may be staying in Italy. It is located on the high speed rail line that connects Turin to Rome and Naples, and from Naples it is only a 40 minute comfortable ride on the Frecciarossa line. There are also buses from Naples, and along the Amalfi coast connecting Salerno to other popular destinations including Positano and Amalfi town. You can learn more at the wikitravel guide to Salerno.

If you are coming to Salerno to see the Luci d'Artista, you will of course want to stay overnight to see them illuminating the evening sky! There are a number of lodging options in the city, including a large modern hotel near the train station, and I personally recommend Salerno Centro B&B where we stayed for four nights this January. This bed and breakfast is located in the heart of the city's historic center and within easy walking distance of many of the lighting displays, excellent restaurants, and other Salerno attractions. The owners of Salerno Centro also provide excellent personal service and will help arrange other activities if you are staying for several days, from a private tour of the Amalfi Coast to the ancient ruins of Paestum.

You can see the many excellent reviews of Salerno Centro B&B on TripAdvisor, which is what convinced me to stay there myself.

• Luci d'artista

  Official website of the celebration.

• Salerno: luci d'artista

  Official Facebook page