The imposing Stele Dannunziana towers above the Nature Reserve Pineta Dannunziana, an oasis of peace in the heart of the city of Pescara (Italy). The 67-metre-high obelisk was designed and built in just two months by the Pescara sculptor, engineer and artist Vicentino Michetti in 1963, to mark the 100th anniversary of the birth of the great poet Gabriele D’Annunzio. The distinctive monument, a symbol of the city’s identity, stands in an open-air theatre on the edge of the pine wood and is made of reinforced concrete with a triangular star floor plan. Its surface is engraved with abstract geometric bas-reliefs inspired by the events in D’Annunzio’s life and by his most famous works. The stele echoes previous and contemporary monuments dedicated to prominent figures. It owes its aesthetics to reinforced concrete, since it has a marked tapering that comes from three reinforced concrete “roots” that seem to protrude from the ground.

During the summer, both the D’Annunzio monument and the 3000-seat open-air theatre of the same name become the focus for the famous Pescara Jazz festival, as well as hosting a multitude of concerts, events and cultural awards. A 500-seat multipurpose hall, the Flaiano auditorium, an indoor space that is active all year round, occupies the area adjacent to the arena.

The obelisk’s lighting was upgraded in collaboration with L&L Luce&Light. The use of Colorado outdoor linear profiles with built-in 230Vac power supply, capable of lighting particularly tall buildings, made it possible to accentuate the majesty and grandeur of the Stele. This was further facilitated by the adjustability of the lighting body on the Colorado 6.2 version, with 15°and 25° optics, which is surface mounted with brackets with two pivot points.

The coloured light scenes are courtesy of multicolour high-intensity power RGBW LEDs and can be controlled through the DMX+RDM protocol. The results are particularly atmospheric and affecting thanks to the fixtures’ extraordinary colour mixing and excellent lighting performance, while recessed optics ensure better visual comfort. Installation in harsh saline environments such as this one is possible because of the combination of a body in Anticorodal^® low-copper-content aluminium, stainless steel brackets, and technopolymer end caps, ensuring excellent heat dissipation and outstanding corrosion resistance. In addition, the screen in grey-serigraphed and transparent extra-clear glass guarantees impact and scratch resistance (IK10).

Photo: Fabio Di Carlo

L&L Luce&Light