Every year on the Corpus Domini day, Spello, defined by Julius Caesar as “Splendidissima Colonia Iulia” (literally Magnificent Iulia colony), a charming Umbrian town amongst the most beautiful Medieval borgo in Italy, hosts a wonderful festival called Infiorata.

This is a wonderful festival where hundreds of people work with great passion to create stunning carpets made of flowers all over the town.

It is a 2-day festival and it takes place in the weekend, but people work all year long to make the Infiorata real. They pick flowers, sometimes they also plant their own ones, they then pick petals by hand, some of them are also cut with specific machineries, and they are left to dry for several months. They also use many fresh flowers and herbs, in fact, on the Saturday, while walking around, you will see people cutting roses and carnations, picking daisy and cornflower petals. All groups int the competition work all night long on their drawing.

The jury will go around and see the drawings early in the morning on Sunday before the procession, that is when the bishop arrives and steps on the infiorate.

There are 2 different categories in the competition: “quadri” and “tappeti”.

Quadri are larger and with very detailed drawings whereas tappeti are of smaller dimensions and usually have simpler designs and geometrical figures.

The award ceremony takes place on Sunday in the evening.

The colour and scent of flowers, adults and kids who gather and work together and the fascinating architecture and beauty of Spello create a magical atmosphere.

This is a great festival and it’s a must see.

For more info visit the Festival’s official website: https://www.infiorataspello.it/