A season full of lights and sounds, a riot of colors and melodies, a true pyrotechnic event: it is the most explosive festival of the summer!

It commenced in Orta San Giulio and will continue until August with fourteen unmissable shows the "Festival of Fireworks", a well-established and very popular event, which gives the public a series of excellent quality pyrotechnic displays.

This year we watched from the beautiful terrace of La Darbia the first firework show of this fabulous extravaganza : the opening of the Festival was hosted for the first time in the enchanting setting of the village of Orta, right in front of the island of San Giulio. When, at nightfall, the pyro-musical show tinted the most beautiful lake in Italy with a thousand luminous colours, a very strong emotion was unleashed ...

But if you missed the first inaugural event, don't worry: the Festival will continue over the next few weeks with events in some of the most beautiful areas of our territory. At the end of July, the exhibition will take place in the town of Mergozzo, a traditional holiday destination overlooking the small lake of the same name. Then Arona, Sesto Calende, Cannobio and Pallanza will host fireworks with musical accompaniment: colorful explosions, harmoniously realized in time to music, will draw flowers and fountains of a thousand shades in the sky, creating a magical setting with the reflection in the waters of Lake Maggiore.

Also two renowned Swiss locations, Lugano and Locarno, have joined the Festival and will offer an exciting fireworks show, while the closing of the festival is reserved, as usual, to Omegna and will take place on the last two Sundays of August, concurrent with the historic celebrations for its patron saint, San Vito.

Do not miss the four events of "Vette d'artificio", an event linked to the Festival, which for years has managed to bring fireworks into the mountains, in an uncontaminated environment and in an evocative setting.

Some mountain resorts of Ossola are transformed for an evening into natural "stages" suitable for a display with a strong emotional impact, yet realized with full respect for the environment. The event is therefore scheduled (between July and August) with the pyrotechnic shows at Piana di Vigezzo, then at Macugnaga, at the foot of the east face of Monte Rosa, then at Alpe Ciamporino in San Domenico di Varzo and finally in Santa Maria Maggiore. The insertion of luminous scenographic effects will contribute to creating an involving atmosphere, an embrace of lights and fires in continuous dialogue with the soundtracks.

Firework displays are an ancient art, originally Chinese, which only later arrived in Europe, where they were much appreciated thanks to the establishment of special schools for the training of expert craftsmen in the sector. However, once fireworks were reserved for noble parties and military ceremonies, while today, fortunately, events are available to everyone. So, summer after summer, the crackling sounds and lights that inflame the night and seem to reach the sky take us back to childhood ...