Can I get there by candlelight?

I know, I know, my Italy holiday seems like a distant memory now, but there's one set of photos that I never got round to posting earlier in the year. It seems rather apt for this dark time of year - I'm certainly still feeling a little festive, even though Christmas has long gone!

You see, one of the reasons we were excited to go to Lucca when we did was the Luminaria di Santa Croce - the Candle Festival - which just sounded gorgeous. A parade through a candlelit village? Sold. All day we noticed the citizens of Lucca putting out their candles - every window, every doorway, every cathedral was absolutely covered. It took them hours to light them all.

The parade was beautiful - it seemed like every person who lived in Lucca was in it, walking through the streets in groups of professions, churches and parishes, all clutching candles. There was music and singing and instruments - it was kind of amazing. It was also rather long - 3 hours long, in fact - so I was rather pleased when it was over, I must confess. But I'm glad I got to see it - one of those moments that doesn't come along very often.

That's the end of my Italy photos. Can I start planning next year's holiday now please? I'm cold.