As every year, the city of Recco prepares to kick off the Fire Festival, the most anticipated event for locals and beyond. The event originated in 1824, when the town’s patron saint, the Madonna del Suffragio, was crowned by Cardinal Lambruschini.

Since then, September 8th has become a date etched in the calendar of Recco’s residents, in every sense. The city’s seven districts organize to create the most thrilling pyrotechnic display, aiming to amaze with special effects.

For the first 150 editions, each district launched fireworks from its own area, then the sea was chosen as the base for all the displays. Safety reasons, but perhaps also a way to bring together communities that have grown closer due to urban expansion.

The evenings of September 7th and 8th are thus dedicated to a tradition that Recco could never give up, in a challenge that mixes pride of belonging with the awareness of carrying on a wonderful show for two centuries. An event so cherished that 140 Recco residents have obtained the necessary license. Ages range from 18, the minimum allowed, to 78, the oldest.

The long two-day event essentially knows no breaks, as at 3:30 AM cannon shots are fired to salute the birth of the Virgin Mary. Once these are over, the traditional dawn mass follows, culminating with the fireworks of the second evening.

Only those who love the sea can fully appreciate the splendor of the colors of the fireworks illuminating the starry Ligurian night, reflecting on the vast expanse of water. An experience of rare beauty, an impressionist painting where colors triumph over the observer’s eye. All with the sound of waves in the background, amplified in the nighttime darkness by limited visibility.

More cannot be said in words, without risking spoiling the sensory ecstasy derived from the combination of lights, colors, sounds, and scents typical of the Ligurian coast. An experience to be lived firsthand, savoring every detail of the surrounding places. The best idea is to depart from the region’s capital, setting sail in the evening by boat from Marina Porto Antico, and crossing the Gulf of Genoa, until anchoring off the coast of Recco to enjoy the fireworks from a privileged position. Perhaps with a delicious cheese focaccia in hand, just to complete the perfect picture.