Made by the faithful, immense carpets of flowers decorate streets and churches during the Infiorata festival
Just as happens in Brazil – but precisely in Matão, in the interior of São Paulo, and Santana de Parnaíba, in the metropolitan region of São Paulo –, some Italian cities maintain the tradition of making flower carpets on the occasion of the Catholic festivities of Corpus Christi.
It is believed that the art of creating mosaics with flowers began in Rome in 1625, when Benedetto Drei and his son used flower petals to decorate the Vatican Basilica on the days of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, the patron saints of Rome.
The custom was once widespread throughout Italy but later disappeared over time. Today the people of the Castelli Romani (a group of small towns very close to Rome) still maintain the tradition. Eventually, several cities in Italy began to celebrate Corpus Christi again by creating flower carpets.
Since the 18th century, artists from Genzano, a city close to Rome, have come together to decorate the streets with huge carpets of flowers for the traditional festival. Flower Festival, in celebration of Corpus Christi. At night, the public can watch the assembly with the petals. At the end of the festivities, children are invited to run on the carpet.
Around 40 people are expected to attend the carpet festival in Spello. Photo: Disclosure
In the medieval Spello, a city in the province of Perugia, around 40 thousand people are expected to attend the carpet festival each year. During this period, the city becomes more vibrant, colorful and fragrant with the flowery carpets made by local artists, who draw scenes from the Old and New Testament on almost 2 thousand square meters.
