LUMinARIA – Festival of Lights

LUMinARIA: When Locorotondo glows by candlelight

LUMinARIA – Festival of Lights is one of the most enchanting highlights of the Itria Valley summer. Every year in early July, the historic center of Locorotondo (Metropolitan City of Bari, Puglia) switches off its electric street lighting for one night, relying entirely on the soft, warm glow of thousands of candles. The white alleys, the distinctive cummerse with their pointed roofs, and the flowered balconies of the village—one of Italy's most beautiful—transform into a magical path where light becomes the absolute protagonist.

From devotion to Saint Lucy to an art festival

The event finds its roots in the Feast of Saint Lucy, the saint of light and sight, who is celebrated in Locorotondo in the height of summer on July 6th, rather than in December. Over the years, thanks to the Euforica APS association and the Santa Lucia Festival Committee, this religious and popular tradition has evolved into a full-scale festival that blends heritage, live performance, and contemporary artistic expression, under the patronage of the Puglia Region and the Municipality of Locorotondo.

What to expect during the festival

• Candlelit guided tours to discover the main landmarks of the historic center
• Aerial and contemporary dance suspended between the alleys and on the natural stage of the Arena Bellavista
• Live music featuring top Apulian talent, from Salento pizzica to operatic vocals
• A grand baroque fireworks display, among the most impressive in Puglia, designed by Euforica and executed by Itria Fireworks
• The religious procession in honor of Saint Lucy and celebrations at the Mother Church

Arena Bellavista: A balcony over the Itria Valley

The heart of the performances is the Arena Bellavista, a stage overlooking the famous panorama of Locorotondo, where the view stretches across the vineyards and trulli of the Itria Valley. It is here that, late at night, music, light, dance, and baroque fireworks merge into a spectacular finale, while the village remains bathed in candlelight.

A free event for all of Puglia

LUMinARIA is free to attend and draws thousands of visitors from across Puglia and beyond every year. Strolling through the lights of Locorotondo, with your gaze lost among the cummerse and the silhouettes of the trulli, is a unique way to discover one of the most fascinating villages in Southern Italy.