Italian city home to ‘world’s biggest Christmas tree’ – but it’s not what you expect

The world’s largest will be making a comeback in the Italian town of Gubbio for its 44th edition.

The huge tree is over 750 metres high and reportedly takes up an area of a whopping 130,000 square metres. Every year since 1981, it has made an appearance in the beautiful town of  in the Umbria region, central .

But how is it so big? Well, it is not actually a real tree but in fact, it is hundreds of lights in the shape of one.

Despite this, in 1991, the actually named it “The World’s Largest Christmas Tree”.

The light display uses around 3000 lights, to make the tree which is then beautifully lit up on the slopes of Mount Ingino, overlooking the whole town.

The tradition came about when the people of Gubbio decided they wanted to celebrate Christmas in a different way and so every year, on the eve of the feast of the Immaculate Conception, which is December 7, the Christmas Tree is lit up. 

Thanks to a special team of volunteers who dedicate around three months of their time every year, the annual tradition is able to be kept alive for residents and visitors to enjoy.

Each ceremony sees different people lead the ceremony and switch on the light. In 2017 the lights were incredibly switched on remotely by Italian astronaut Paolo Nespoli while he was in the International Space Station. 

What also makes this amazing display special is that for a small donation, people can adopt a light on the tree and dedicate it to anyone they would like. Some of the money raised from the donations will then be used to cover the electricity costs of maintaining the tree.

This year’s ceremony pays tribute to The National Fire Department, as the Christmas Tree committee would like “to pay homage to the commitment, passion and humanity” the department brings to their work every day.