Chinese lanterns illuminate Italian theme park for holiday season

Visitors look at lanterns during the International Lantern Festival "Lanternia" in Cassino, central Italy, Jan. 28, 2024. (Xinhua/Li Jing)

As of Jan. 28, the lantern show has drawn nearly 80,000 visitors, averaging 1,000-5,000 daily.

ROME, Jan. 29 (Xinhua) -- A large collection of hand-made Chinese lanterns illuminated one of Italy's major theme parks in the city of Cassino this holiday season.

The International Lantern Festival "Lanternia" opened on Dec. 8 at the Il Bosco delle Favole (Fairytale Forest) theme park in central Italy.

Divided into six areas and featuring Christmas, fairytale, animal and animation themes, this large-scale lantern exhibition covers some 110,000 square meters and 2.5 km of pathways, all illuminated with giant Chinese lanterns.

The exhibition, which will run until March 10, received more than 2,000 visitors on Sunday. This was also the opening day of Carnival, a traditional Italian holiday.

"The lanterns are popular among Italians," said Domenico Durante, director of the exhibition. As of Jan. 28, the lantern show had attracted approximately 80,000 visitors, he added, with 1,000-5,000 people entering the park each day.

Performers pose for a photo by lanterns during the International Lantern Festival "Lanternia" in Cassino, central Italy, Jan. 28, 2024. (Xinhua/Li Jing)

The success of the exhibition is due to the exquisite handiwork of artisans in Zigong, a city in southwest China known for its lantern culture. A team of 15 people came to Cassino at the end of last year to work for a month, handcrafting hundreds of lanterns.

The lanterns are made of silk, an eco-friendly material that is lightweight, non-polluting and resilient. They are illuminated with the latest low-power LEDs, reminiscent of candles or traditional light sources.

According to Durante, this distinctly Chinese style is new and very attractive to the Italians. Visitors came from the north and south of the country to see the lanterns.

Visitors pose with a lantern during the International Lantern Festival "Lanternia" in Cassino, central Italy, Jan. 28, 2024. (Xinhua/Li Jing)

Damiano Vincenzo from Benevento drove over 50 minutes to the park with his family. "I really like these characteristic lanterns," he said. Meanwhile, his son Matias loved the dragon lanterns, not only because of the wonderful colors but also because "the dragon's head moves."

Another visitor, Matteo, came to the site after reading information about Chinese lanterns on the official website, and said the lanterns are "as beautiful as imagined."

The lantern exhibition originated from a trip that Durante took to Zigong, where he was impressed by this traditional art and decided to bring it to his hometown. "Next year we might do more lanterns with Chinese characteristics and bring the exhibition to other Italian cities like Florence or even all over the world," he said. 

Visitors walk past lanterns during the International Lantern Festival "Lanternia" in Cassino, central Italy, Jan. 28, 2024. (Xinhua/Li Jing)