It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, but in Udine, Italy, the traditional Christmas decoration stepped into a different dimension. The traditional Christmas lights were enriched by a colorful projection of images on the facades of the city’s buildings.
Last year we heard that the city of Udine has a nice and unique decoration in the month of December, but unfortunately, we didn’t manage to get there (a bit of bad weather and a bit of bad time management); that is why we were determined to visit the city this year. And not to repeat the same mistake, we planned our trip already at the beginning of the month to be sure to make it.
Last weekend it was a sunny day with a clear sky, perfect for an afternoon stroll in the city. The sunset is quite early, and when we reached the city at 4:30 PM, it was already the perfect light to spot all the lights.
We entered the old city center through the arched entrance of Porta Manin, and we were embraced by the nice atmosphere of this medieval city.
After only a few steps, we already reached Liberty Square, where the projection of the lights on the Loggia del Lionello building (today the Town Hall) took place.
The projection was a fascinating symphony of music and colors, with different themes more or less connected to space, mystic lights... or at least that was the impression that I got. All was well aligned with moderate music sounds that created a catchy combination.
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In the middle of the square, in front of the Loggia di San Giovanni and the tower clock, there were big spheres of lights, a more traditional Christmas decoration.
To pump up the romantic atmosphere, there was a small carousel just at the corner of the square. I was admiring the tower clock when I noticed that the facade of the castle was also illuminated by the lights. Udine Castle is one of the city’s main monuments. It is located on the top of a small hill, and today it hosts a civic museum.
Since it was Saturday afternoon, the streets were full of locals that were visiting numerous shops that you can find in the old town. Besides many international shops, you will also find some very nice “made in Italy” boutiques and not to mention excellent bars and cafes.
We also did a bit of window shopping and walked in a few of the shops, but then we reached the Matteotti Square. This square is considered the city’s living room, and every visitor immediately notices that this is the most loved square, by both locals and visitors. In the middle of the square there is a fountain, but the square is full of restaurants and bars. That was also the place where the light decorations were the most valorized since they were illuminating and decorating all the buildings that surrounded the square.
This colourful image is projected onto the facades of buildings using projectors. What fascinates me most about this is that, if you look carefully, the windows of the buildings are excluded and are not projected onto them. Technology has obviously advanced considerably and the inhabitants of houses are protected from possible unwanted light within their living spaces.
On our way back we also passed by the Primo Maggio square, where there was a nice ice-skating rink, named Udine Ice Park. Kids of all ages were having great fun.
In the same area there were also some stands that were selling Christmas gifts and some traditional holiday goodies like the mulledwine, doughnuts, and similar…
This was our first visit to a Christmas market this year. As we are just well into the month of December, I hope and I don't think it will be the last one 😀
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