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A magical night marvelling at the lunar eclipse

A magical night marvelling at the lunar eclipse

Salento nights at the Montirò Hotel

The moon has been man’s companion since his first night on Earth. Here on the edge of the world at Finibus Terrae, in the silent summer nights with their star-studded skies, the moon shines brightly, rising up out of the sea like a goddess.

This July we got to witness a truly unique lunar event, a total eclipse with a blood moon. We got to see it in magical darkness of the Salento night sky, lying on the loungers by the pool surrounded by olive trees here at the Montirò Hotel and it was amazing. What was the longest eclipse of the century brought us into close contact with nature, making us feel like the first men on the earth, bewitched by the goddess of the night.

The moon’s fiery redness little by little darkened to black, the Earth’s shadow slowly overtaking it like a lover, for a moment making it almost disappear completely, only to then have it reappear again. The long embrace between light and shadow gave us the chance to marvel at the earth, become human again: talk, laugh and love.

All along the Leuca coast, too, the eclipse made for spectacular viewing. A lot of people took up their positions on clifftops, well away from light pollution, from dusk onwards to be sure of getting the best views of the full blood moon in all its beauty.

And for one night we felt tiny, dwarfed by the shadowy moon, amid the vast beauty of Leuca.

Weather-wise, it was one of the best nights for it: mild, clear skies, and a light breeze. Perfect for lying flat to stare up at the night sky in the company of lots of others, making new friends, sharing experiences.

Did you miss this great natural spectacle? No problem? Apparently, there’s going to be another lunar eclipse next year, next summer, in fact. Salento, Leuca and the Montirò Hotel will still be here, ready to welcome you to enjoy another magical night!

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