We were lucky enough to be in Pisa during the feast of San Ranieri and got to see this amazing spectacle. We stayed in an apartment overlooking the river so managed to avoid the crowds below and get an amazing view. To celebrate this feast day (which is actually 17th June) the buildings along the Lungarno are decorated with white frames that hold candles the day before (16th). Once the sun has set this gives an amazing glow along the river. To top the night off, a half hour fireworks display along the river takes place. Absolutely breath taking!! I highly recommend scheduling your trip to Pisa around this time.

This event is totally mad and totally beautiful. A crowd of 100,000 was expected for the 2017 event and it seemed like it! Every building lining the river Arno which goes through Pisa erects elaborate frames of 'holders' into which are placed small, lit candle lanterns. This takes many hours but as the sun sets around 9 p.m. the effect is stunning. Crowds and street-food stalls line both banks of the river, many regular visitors claiming a place on the Lugarno walls from 6 p.m. onwards. The majority of spectators are almost certainly locals as the event does not seem to be promoted to the tourist trade and given the sheer numbers and the availability of alcohol, the crowds are extremely well behaved. Things get noisy later on with a spectacular firework display from barges moored in the middle of the river. And keep an eye out for the rockets launched from the clock tower!