This Fountain in Italy Looks Like Its Pouring Lava When Hit by the Sun From the Right Angle

A very special moment.

Situated in central Italy, the city of L’Aquila is a stunning destination that drew global attention in 2009 when a catastrophic earthquake wreaked havoc on the town. However, there is now a more pleasant reason why L’Aquila is in the spotlight, thanks to a photo shared by Redditor daenel, a local.

The picture captures an optical illusion that appears to turn the water from a fountain into “fire.” The photo has since gone viral, with many curious viewers wondering whether it is authentic or manipulated using Photoshop.

Well, the photo is authentic indeed, and the phenomenon is real. But it’s quite rare, for that matter. Daenel lives in L’Aquila but he had never witnessed it before. He writes that it was his young daughter who first noticed the illusion and exclaimed “fire.” Daenel only had a “cheap camera” with him to capture the moment, but he plans to go back at the same time next year to try to see the dazzling spectacle again and take better photos.

Fontana Luminosa, or “luminous fountain” in English, as the fountain is called, is located in the historic center of the city. Created by sculptor Nicola D’Antino in 1934, it suffered some damage in the earthquake of 2009, to be restored and resume its operation in 2016. The name suggests that the pouring sunlight illusion appears more regularly than anyone would have thought.

That said, the phenomenon is still extremely rare. Another, more well-known example, is the Yosemite Firefall, which occurs when the sun sets behind Horsetail Fall in Yosemite National Park and illuminates the water with a fiery glow. The conditions for this illusion to appear are very specific, so it is understandable that daenel had never witnessed it before, even as a local resident. To see this fiery spectacle, several conditions must be met.

The Sun has to be positioned precisely on the horizon, and the sky has to be free of any clouds. Moreover, the duration of the spectacle is very brief, so it requires someone to capture it at the right instant. Thus, daenel was very fortunate to witness and record this rare event.

And so are we.