The Night Lucca Switches Off Its Lights and Burns 10,000 Candles

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One evening every September, the city of Lucca goes dark. Not from a power cut. Every electric light on every street is switched off deliberately, and in their place, tens of thousands of candles begin to glow.

This is the Luminara di Santa Croce — a festival that has lit Lucca’s medieval streets every 13th of September for nearly a thousand years. It is one of Italy’s oldest and most beautiful religious traditions. And, somehow, most visitors have never heard of it.

The Vow That Started Everything

The festival centres on the Volto Santo — a carved wooden crucifix kept inside Lucca’s Cathedral of San Martino. Medieval legend holds it was carved by Nicodemus, the man who helped bury Jesus, and was later brought to Lucca on a boat with no crew.

The ox cart that received the crucifix stopped in front of the cathedral and refused to move. Lucca took this as a sign. The Volto Santo was enshrined. And the city made a vow to honour it every year on the eve of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.

That vow has not been broken since the 11th century. Not in plague years, not through wars, not in a modern Italy where so many old traditions have quietly disappeared.

What the City Looks Like After Dark

By nightfall on September 13th, Lucca is transformed. Residents place candles on every windowsill, in every doorway, along every wall. The medieval streets glow with hundreds of thousands of individual flames.

There is no single moment the city lights up — it happens gradually, block by block, as darkness falls. The ancient stone buildings catch the candlelight and seem to breathe. Shadows shift. There are no sharp edges, no glare. Just warm, ancient light bouncing off walls that have stood for eight centuries.

People who have lived in Lucca their whole lives say it still moves them every September.

The Procession Itself

The procession leaves the Church of San Frediano at around 8pm, winding through the historic centre on a route the city has walked for centuries. The Bishop of Lucca leads it. Clergy, civic officials and local confraternities follow in robes and hoods, carrying torches.

The Volto Santo — dressed in the golden crown and jewelled robes given by Mathilda of Tuscany in the 11th century — is carried under a canopy on an ornate wooden carriage. Church bells ring across the whole city as it passes.

People line the streets in silence. This is not a performance arranged for visitors. This is Lucca doing what Lucca has always done.

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How to Experience It as a Visitor

The Luminara is free to attend and open to anyone. There are no tickets, no reserved areas. You simply arrive in Lucca before nightfall on September 13th and find a spot along the procession route.

The most atmospheric positions are along Via Fillungo and near the Piazza San Michele. Arrive by 7pm to claim your spot — by 8pm the streets are full.

Hotels in Lucca book out weeks in advance for this night. If you plan to stay, reserve early. Many visitors also come as a day trip from Florence — under an hour by train. Dress in layers; September evenings cool quickly inside the medieval walls.

Lucca Beyond the Festival

Even without the Luminara, Lucca is one of Tuscany’s most rewarding cities. Its ancient walls are wide enough to cycle along, and locals do exactly that every day. The medieval towers still stand. The streets have barely changed in five centuries.

Lucca sits between Florence and the Ligurian coast, making it easy to combine with a broader Tuscan trip. The nearby town of Volterra — another Tuscan gem — rewards curious travellers with its alabaster craft tradition and Etruscan history stretching back 3,000 years.

For most visitors, Lucca earns the trip on its own. It is compact, walkable, largely traffic-free, and almost entirely free of the crowds that overwhelm so many other Tuscan cities. In a country where the famous attractions can sometimes drown the experience, Lucca feels like a secret that hasn’t quite leaked yet.

When is the Luminara di Santa Croce in Lucca?

The Luminara di Santa Croce takes place on the evening of 13th September each year. The candlelit procession begins at around 8pm and winds through Lucca’s historic centre, finishing approximately two hours later.

Is the Luminara di Santa Croce free to attend?

Yes, the festival is completely free and open to everyone. There are no tickets or reserved viewing areas — visitors simply arrive before nightfall and find a spot along the route. Arriving by 7pm gives you the best choice of position.

What is the Volto Santo of Lucca?

The Volto Santo is a carved wooden crucifix kept in Lucca’s Cathedral of San Martino. Medieval tradition holds it was carved by Nicodemus and arrived in Lucca on a boat with no crew. It has been venerated in the city since the 11th century and is the centrepiece of the entire Luminara procession.

How do I get to Lucca from Florence?

Direct trains run frequently between Florence Santa Maria Novella and Lucca Stazione. The journey takes around 80 minutes and costs very little. Lucca’s historic centre is a short walk from the station. No car is needed — and none is recommended, as the centre is pedestrianised.

Standing in a candlelit medieval street, watching a thousand-year-old procession pass in near silence, you understand something about Italy that no museum can quite explain. Some things here are simply not performed. They just happen — as they always have.

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