Golden Butterfly Phenomenon: That’s It

In Liguria, near Lerici, in a forest on the cape Caprione you can witness the golden butterfly that’s a fascinating one luminous phenomenon during the summer. It is a butterfly-shaped figure on a phallus-shaped megalith. It happens at sunset when the sun’s rays cross the “tetralithon”, a structure made up of four carved rocks. The “tetralithon” was assembled by man in the 7th millennium BC to effect the transition to a new season.

When can you see this particular show? During the six days at the beginning of the summer solstice (June 21) the phenomenon is more vivid. It can also be seen in a less obvious way from May 25 to July 29. The show takes place between 8 and 8:40 PM. The formation of the golden butterfly figure is influenced by many factors: the presence of clouds and tree branches around the tetralite. A show that gives a lot of emotion and a deep peace with itself. The discovery of this phenomenon dates back to the late 1990s when Professor Enrico Calzolari accidentally passed the site where the tetralite is formed. He immediately understood that it was a megalith and not a natural rock formation.

To reach the place you have to take the provincial road that leads from Romito Magra to Lerici. Then in the town of Guercio you will find the signs to the San Lorenzo Mountains and to see the golden butterfly. The car must be parked on the state road and then walk to the San Lorenzo Mountains. The route takes twenty minutes via an asphalt climb that winds through the woods. Then you take a dirt road up to the remains of the church of San Lorenzo. Then along a descending path, after twenty meters you come to the tetralite on the right. To visit the golden butterfly, it is better to choose midweek days and avoid cloudy days.