Mendrisio Holy Week Processions

On the evenings of Maundy Thursday and Good Friday, Mendrisio turns off its street lighting and two processions move through the old town. What distinguishes them from other Holy Week rituals are the trasparenti: large translucent panels painted on canvas or paper and lit from behind, hung along the streets and carried in the procession, showing biblical scenes in glowing colour - hundreds of them, some dating to the eighteenth century, restored and re-hung each year. The Thursday procession stages the Passion with costumed figures and horses; Friday's is a slower funeral procession of confraternities. UNESCO inscribed the processions on the intangible heritage list in 2019.

The main sights

• Trasparenti - backlit painted panels, some from the eighteenth century.
• Streets with the lights off - the town darkened for both evenings.
• A staged Passion on Thursday - costumed figures and horses through the lanes.
• UNESCO intangible listing - inscribed in 2019.

When to go

Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. Two evenings.

What to expect

It happens on two nights a year and dates move with Easter. Crowds are heavy in narrow streets. Rain can shorten or alter the route. This is a religious observance, not a show - photography without flash and quiet are expected.

Nearby

Lugano is north; the Italian border is a few kilometres south.