On Tuesday, 16 June, the eve of the city’s patron saint, San Ranieri, Pisa will once again celebrate the Luminara di San Ranieri, one of the main events of the Giugno Pisano festivities.
As every year, during the afternoon specially selected workers will begin lighting the lumini—small candles positioned on the biancherie installed along the façades of the palaces—which will illuminate the Lungarni, enhancing the architectural forms of the buildings with their glow and creating a unique and evocative atmosphere.
At dusk, with the public and private artificial lighting gradually switched off, the Lungarni will begin to immerse themselves in the magical evening of San Ranieri, while anticipation builds for the traditional fireworks display.
To view the full calendar of the Giugno Pisano: https://www.turismo.pisa.it/eventi/Giugno-Pisano-2026
PROGRAMME
The Luminara program. Around 3:00 PM, approximately 200 specially selected workers will take action, working alongside municipal and company staff to begin, one by one, lighting the 100,000 lights on the Lungarni, between the Citadel Bridge and the Fortress Bridge, until it reaches dusk when, thanks to the switching off of artificial public and private lighting, the Lungarni will begin to immerse themselves in the magical evening of San Ranieri. As per tradition, the fireworks display on the Lungarni is scheduled to begin at 11:00 PM, with a series of spectacular fireworks displays lasting approximately 25 minutes, fired from 10 floating platforms located on the Arno between Ponte della Fortezza and Ponte Solferino.
Space for the disabled. Near the Renaioli station, there is a platform reserved for disabled people, for approximately 15-20 people, to allow everyone to fully enjoy the show. Access will be under the supervision and control of relevant personnel. Cars equipped with a special permit can be parked on Lungarno Fibonacci between Ponte della Vittoria and Largo Marinai d'Italia by 9:00 PM, with mandatory exit at the end of the event from the Ponte della Vittoria side.
OTHER USEFUL INFORMATION
During the Luminara di San Ranieri, scheduled for Tuesday, June 16, 2026, temporary changes will be made to traffic and parking in the areas affected by the event and in surrounding areas, valid at different times of the day and until the safety and public evacuation requirements are met.
Changes to circulation.
From 12:00 PM on Tuesday, June 16, 2026, until the end of organizational and safety requirements, traffic will be prohibited on Ponte di Mezzo, Ponte della Fortezza, and Ponte della Cittadella, resulting in changes to traffic in the surrounding areas.
Traffic restrictions will also affect the Lungarni involved in the demonstration. Specifically, Lungarno Pacinotti, Lungarno Mediceo, Lungarno Simonelli, Lungarno Buozzi, Lungarno Galilei, Lungarno Gambacorti, Lungarno Sonnino, and Lungarno Fibonacci will be closed to traffic, with access from the streets and alleys leading to the event route closed.
The measures will also affect some of the main streets and squares in the historic center. The traffic restrictions will affect Piazza Mazzini, Piazza Garibaldi, Piazza Cairoli, Piazza San Sepolcro, Piazza Carrara, Piazza Solferino, Piazza di Terzanaia, Piazza San Paolo a Ripa d'Arno, Corso Italia, Via Cavour, Via Santa Maria, Via Santa Bibbiana, Via Curtatone and Montanara, Via Romiti, Via Bovio, Via Toselli, Via Sant'Antonio, and Via di Porta a Mare.
Temporary changes to traffic in the areas affected by the measures will also be introduced to allow for the mobility of residents and authorized vehicles, with inversions, turning requirements, alternating one-way traffic, and dedicated routes. Derogations are also provided for vehicles serving persons with disabilities and for authorized means to support the activities of the fair, in accordance with the procedures established by the ordinance.
Changes to parking.
Regarding parking, from 12:00 on Tuesday, June 16, bans with forced removal will come into force in the main streets and squares in the city center affected by the access and exodus routes. The measures will particularly affect Via Santa Maria, Piazza Garibaldi, Piazza del Pozzetto, Borgo Stretto, Via Oberdan, Piazza Cairoli, Via Cavour, Piazza Mazzini, Piazza XX Settembre, Via di Banchi, Corso Italia, Piazza Saffi, and Piazza San Sepolcro. In areas identified as exodus routes, the parking of bicycles and scooters in dedicated racks will also be prohibited.
Parking restrictions will also be established in areas near bridges and spaces designated for the event's installations. The measures will affect Piazza Caduti di Cefalonia, near Ponte della Vittoria, as well as Piazza dei Cavalieri, Piazza Solferino, and Largo del Parlascio, where sales facilities and services related to the event will be located.
A parking ban with forced removal will be in place on the city's main embankments from 12:00 PM on Tuesday, June 16, until 2:00 PM on Wednesday, June 17, 2026. The measure will affect Lungarno Simonelli, Lungarno Pacinotti, Lungarno Mediceo and Lungarno Buozzi on the north side of the Arno, as well as Lungarno Galilei, Lungarno Gambacorti, Lungarno Sonnino and Lungarno Fibonacci on the south side. Specific exemptions remain for authorized vehicles and vehicles serving people with disabilities in the areas identified by the ordinance.
To allow for the fireworks display, operational areas will also be reserved on Lungarno Galilei, near the Scalo dei Renaioli, where vehicles from the company responsible for the installation can park and the technical stations necessary for the performance will be cordoned off.
Citizens are encouraged to pay attention to temporary signs and on-site directions to facilitate the event and ensure traffic safety.
Measures for safety. The evening that draws tens of thousands of people to flock to the Lungarni every year requires extensive security measures. A plan approved by the Committee on Public Order and Safety has been prepared, involving law enforcement, fire, health, and civil defense workers and a task force of 140 stewards who will oversee the entire affected area.
Below, in detail the measures envisaged, in collaboration with the Prefecture and Police Headquarters of Pisa:
Health stations. The Health Plan prepared by 118 provides for the presence of 20 ambulances (provided by the Italian Red Cross, Misericordia, and Pubblica Assistenza) and 14 walking health teams who, starting at 7:00 PM, will move to the Lungarni, as well as an advanced medical post. All health activities will be coordinated by 118 personnel present at the Municipality's Civil Protection Coordination Center. The Fire Brigade, present at the Coordination Center, has planned to strengthen the service by deploying additional teams to the local area and the river in the Arno to ensure faster interventions. One of the VVF vessels will have medical personnel on board to manage any critical issues.
First aid. Four decongestation and first aid areas have been identified, connected to the operating rooms: Piazza Santa Caterina (North 1), Piazza Dante (North 2), Piazza Vittorio (South 1), Piazza San Paolo a Ripa d'Arno (South 2).
Escape routes. From 6:00 PM on Tuesday, June 16th until 5:00 AM the following day, all exodus routes overlooking the Lungarni, between the Citadel Bridge and the Fortress Bridge and in the surrounding streets, must be kept free of any objects (chairs, tables, umbrellas, displays, etc.). The exceptions are the platforms, outdoor seating, and construction sites already present on the exodus routes and regularly authorized by the Municipality of Pisa. All rental vehicle storage stations (bicycles and scooters) located on the same exodus routes must also be free; rental companies for the aforementioned vehicles must ensure that they are prevented from traveling not only on the usual roads but also throughout the Lungarni area. Failure to comply with the provisions of this ordinance is punishable by an administrative fine of between 100 and 300 euros.
All roads overlooking the Lungarni will be manned by the steward service and the police, to keep them free from cars, bicycles, scooters, occupations on public land, etc.
Ban on the sale of glass beverages and explosive material detentions. A special trade union order has been prepared which, from 4.00 pm on Tuesday 16 June, until 5.00 am the following day, as well as from 4.00 pm on Wednesday 17 June to midnight on Thursday 18, prohibits: the sale, even for takeaway, of drinks in glass or aluminium containers; the serving of drinks in glass containers, except where consumption takes place within public establishments or in the areas pertaining thereto; the holding of beverages in glass or aluminium containers in public streets or squares or squares open to the public; the holding or use of explosive materials, the use of fireworks, rockets, firecrackers, barrels, smoke bombs and similar artifices containing detonating, exploding, smoke or irritant mixtures, without prejudice to those authorized by the Municipality of Pisa.
The ban will be valid in the internal areas delimited by the following perimeters: Lungarni between Ponte della Cittadella and Ponte della Fortezza (including intermediate bridges); Northern area: Via Santa Marta, Via Edmondo De Amicis, Via Angelo Battelli, Via di Pratale, Via Lucchese, Via Contessa Matilde, Via Bonanno Pisano, Piazza di Terzanaia; Southern area: Via Porta a Mare, Via Cesare Battisti, Via Alfredo Catalani, Via Mascagni, Station Square, Via Filippo Corridoni, Via Carlo Cattaneo, Via Giuliano da Sangallo, Piazza Don Giovanni Minzoni, Lungarno Fibonacci. Violators will be fined between €100.00 and €300.00.
Prohibition of the use of sound amplification or broadcasting facilities. From 2.00 pm on June 16th until 8.00 am on June 17th as well as from 2.00 pm on June 17th until 8.00 am on June 18th it is also prohibited to place any type of sound amplification or broadcasting system outside buildings or on public or public streets or squares or on the banks of the Arno River, without prejudice to those installed and managed by the Municipality of Pisa. The affected areas are the Lungarni between Ponte della Cittadella and Ponte della Fortezza (including the intermediate bridges); the Northern Zone: Piazza Garibaldi, Borgo Stretto, Via Curtatone and Montanara, Piazza delle Vettovaglie, Piazza Sant'Omobono, Piazza Dante, Piazza dei Cavalieri, and Piazza Cairoli; the Southern Zone: Piazza XX Settembre, Piazza Gambacorti, Corso Italia, and Piazza San Sepolcro. Violators will be fined between 100 and 300 euros.
Closure of commercial establishments. To prevent incidents contrary to public safety, decorum, and public rest, a special ordinance sets the closure of public food and beverage establishments, food and mixed-use businesses, and artisanal businesses producing and selling ready-to-eat delicatessen products within the historic city center at 2:00 a.m. on Wednesday, June 17.
Safety on the Lungarni shoulder pads. Please note that the current Urban Police regulation provides, in art. 5, paragraph 1, letter g), "[it is prohibited] along the Arno River to lie down or walk on the shoulder boards of the Arno or descend onto the pine cones of the bridges; to descend, walk and rest on the suspended walkways below the shoulder boards".
Ponte di Mezzo and Ponte Solferino open to pedestrians. The Ponte di Mezzo and Ponte Solferino will remain open throughout the evening at the pedestrian crossing. Only the two side lanes of the sidewalks will be reserved, and therefore closed to traffic, to avoid pressure on the shoulder straps and allow for the easy intervention of service and healthcare personnel. Given the large influx of people, it is recommended, at the end of the fireworks display, to exercise extreme caution when the event is underway and wait an appropriate amount of time to avoid excessive crowding, especially on the Ponte di Mezzo and surrounding areas.
Cleaning during and after the Luminara. During the evening, from 8:00 PM to 2:00 AM, four teams of Geofor operators will beat the center to clean the streets affected by the demonstration. From 4:00 a.m., Geofor workers will take action to clean the center and the Lungarni, using sweepers and pressure washers to wash and sanitize the center's streets. From the afternoon of the following day, a new shift will be made to clean the Lungarni from the lights left over from dismantling the whiteware.
Public bathrooms. There will be 24 portable toilets located in the area affected by the event, five of which are accessible to the disabled. Furthermore, the public restrooms in Piazza XX Settembre and Piazza Sant'Omobono will be open until 2:00 a.m., with an increase in staff.
