The world’s largest Christmas tree lights up each year on the slopes of Monte Ingino, overlooking the medieval town of Gubbio in Italy’s central Umbria region. To mark the winter festive season, the beautiful town illuminates its magical Christmas tree with more than 700 lights.
Topped with a giant star, the tree is 750m high with 8.5 km worth of cables powering its lights.
The ‘roots’ of the tree starts from near Gubbio’s ancient walls while its star reaches the basilica of the town’s patron Saint Ubaldo, at the peak of the Ingino mountain. The stunning Christmas tree entered the Guinness Book of Records in 1991.
Every year people ‘adopt’ a light from the world-famous Christmas tree display
This year, the tree’s lights were illuminated again thanks to the annual campaign inviting people to ‘adopt’ a light. Each of the tree’s lights has been sponsored by locals who dedicate it to their loved ones, with messages ranging from welcoming a new-born baby to saluting dearly-missed grandparent.
The lights were adopted with a symbolic amount of 10 euros each and were available until exhaustion. Each light was adopted by a single user.
In 2020, the largest Christmas tree in the world turns 40 years. To celebrate the event a documentary film will be presented, that marks this gesture of devotion of the people of Gubbio, which has now become a true icon of Christmas all over the world. The movie will be streamed online on the Facebook of the Christmas tree on Saturday, 5 December at 6.00 pm.
The town of Gubbio is usually organizing an official ceremony to light up its Christmas lights but that has been cancelled this year due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The Christmas tree will remain lit until January 2021.
Source: TheMayor.EU
