One of the most striking and exciting shows is undoubtedly the one that takes place in Laigueglia between the end of July and the beginning of August: we are talking about the landing of the Saracens.

Laigueglia, which is about 30 km from Loano, is one of the most beautiful villages in Italy, with its charm of an old fishing village, its tiny streets and colorful houses overlooking the sea.

The landing of the Saracens is an imposing historical event, which the municipality of Laigueglia has been organizing since the middle 70s and which aims to recreate an event that really happened in 1546: the looting suffered by the inhabitants of Laigueglia by the Saracens, captained by the ferocious Dragut, a dreaded dark pirate, famous for the depredations operated in the Mediterranean.

It is told that even as a boy he showed remarkable skills with the sword, which made him distinguish in the eyes of a Turkish army officer, who took him under his protective wings and from there began his military and naval career. It is thought that Dragut had a particular obsession for the Ligurian coast: San Remo, Ospedaletti, Laigueglia, Santo Stefano, San Lorenzo, Bergeggi, San Fruttuoso, Rapallo, all places where he put into action its terrible devastation.

The historical representation evokes with great precision and mastery that very traumatic and difficult event for Laigueglia. History has it that Dragut entered the country by raiding, kidnapping young girls and setting fire to the local church.

Everything is staged on the shores of the sea, which see opposing two different factions, the natives and the invaders. The latter come from the sea on their boats faithfully reproduced, while the first contrast their advance to the sound of bullets in foam. The commemoration is accompanied by a pyrotechnic show, which makes it even more exciting and engaging.

Whoever takes care of you is literally catapulted into the atmosphere of tension and resistance of the time, in fact the spectators are an integral part of the staging and become part of it, participating actively in an important historical moment for the Laigueglia community.

The music is another great protagonist, able to create pathos and sense of epic, while the two factions collide with the sound of the drums that rush in the dark starry night, and the roar of fireworks.

The spectators line up along the curb of the walls and on the defensive ramparts to watch with breath to something unique, which every year involves inhabitants and tourists who find themselves catapulted back in time, when pirate raids were the order of the day and they brought terror and confusion along the Ligurian coasts.

The historical re-enactment lasts about an hour and a half, but the party continues with the Long Night of the Saracens, a sort of white night where shops and shops stay open late, to allow people who pour into the gut to do shopping. Even the premises close at night, so that the youngest can be unleashed in the nightlife, between the squares and the narrow streets of the historic center.

This is undoubtedly an unmissable event, because it is not the classic historical event where there is a parade in costume: the landing of the Saracens faithfully reproduces a historical event really happened, and those lucky enough to assist you can rightfully say you have took part in something special and inimitable.

For more information, refer to the website of the municipality of Laigueglia.