It takes place annually in August on the shores of the sea in front of Laigueglia village, in memory of the incursion of the Turks which indeed took place in the 16th century.
Laigueglia is one of the most beautiful towns in Italy, with its charm of an old fishing village, its harbor and its colorful houses overlooking the sea.
The historical re-enactment presents a battle between local people and Turkish invaders. In fact, the participants in the event, divided into two factions, will clash on the seashore engaging in a battle using paper and foam balls, with the favor of the night lit up by fireworks on the water surface. All around there is a disturbing drum beat, while fire balls devour the nearby Bastion, a monument designed by the Laiguegliesi people in the 1500s for defensive needs.
The re-enactment is carried out by participants divided into two formations, on one side ‘the locals’ are lined up on the beach to protect the coast from the incursion and, on the other side, ‘the Turks’ are invading the area by sea using wooden boats and vessels.
For many years Laigueglia has been proposing the landing and the battle from which the locals came out victorious. It talks about the famous pirates, Dragut and Hayreddin Barbarossa (Redbeard), who were taken prisoners during a raid in Liguria, and more precisely in Genoese waters, by Andrea Doria (an Italian admiral from the Republic of Genoa), and then were assigned to forced labor for four years, rowing in a galley.
The two pirates attacked several other towns on the Italian coast forcing the Republic of Genoa, and not only it, to prepare for further assaults by building bastions of defense. The town of Laigueglia built three: one, with sighting functions, on the hill of Capo Mele, one on the coast towards Andora (which no longer exists) and the Torre del Cavallo – Horses tower (in front of the pier) which also served as a prison.
Children can participate in the prologue together with mom and dad, a sort of theatrical play for which two weeks of rehearsal are required.
Only adults, on the other hand, will be able to register for security reasons and actively participate in the confrontation, siding between the ‘Turkish invaders’ or the ‘autochthonous’ people. The fight takes place in the sandy beach of the central Pier, in front of the Saracen Bastion. The Sbarco dei Saraceni introduces new features every year, such as new musical soundtrack and new choreographies.
Like every year, this year the re-enactment took place impeccably, from an organizational point of view.
Many people even enjoyed the show dining on the beach, taking to-go pizzas or other snacks on the beach to better watch the show which can also be viewed from the village seafront promenade.
After the pyrotechnic show and the battle re-enactment, the event continues with the ‘long night of the Saracens,’ a night of concerts of various kinds when shops, clubs and ice cream parlors are open until late at night. It is also possible to participate in a water balloons fight in a special area dedicated to that.
This is undoubtedly an unmissable event, because it is not the classic historical event where a costume parade is taking place: the landing of the Saracens faithfully reproduces a truly historic event, and those lucky enough to see it can rightly claim to have taken part in something special and inimitable.
The Saracen Landing brings you to another century
