Think you’ve a pretty impressive Christmas tree? Think again. Take a look at this ginormous Christmas tree in Gubbio, Italy, which covers over 1,000 square metres, features thousands of lights and is easily one of the world’s most iconic Christmas trees. It’s enough to make any normal Chrimbo tree look a bit puny, a bit pathetic.
Alright, so Gubbio’s tree isn’t a tree, exactly. It’s really a light display – albeit a dazzling vast one. Every year on December 7, Gubbio lights up Mount Ingino with thousands of multicoloured lights and several kilometres of electrical cabling. It’s such a renowned event that popes have presided over the turning on of the lights, with Popes Francis and Benedict XVI having done so in recent years.
Gubbio’s been lighting up Mount Ingino with its tree since 1981 and it can be seen from up to 30 miles away. It’s held the Guinness Books of Records title for the ‘World's Largest Christmas Tree’ since 1991.
The tree overlooks Gubbio, an ancient medieval city in the Italian region of Umbria. Famed for its Roman ruins and historic aqueduct, it’s about two-and-a-half hours’ drive from both Rome and Florence.
Depending on your tastes, Gubbio’s tree either looks totally spectacular or hideously naff. In either case, it’s certainly worth seeing with your own eyes. If you fancy visiting, the tree lights will be on from December 7, 2022, to January 12, 2023.
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