How’s this for irony? I’ve just returned from a trip that I’ve been dreaming of for a lifetime, and my first blog post about the country in question is going to be about a festival that I didn’t get to experience. (There will always be plenty of those.) But this one looks so gorgeous that even this crowd-averse blogger is drawn to it. I only just learned about it, or I might well have adjusted our travel dates, despite the fact that we’d have been traveling in the heat of high season.
Before exploring Italy, I read as many Italy travelogues as possible. My favorite was Il Bel Centro, by Michelle Damiani. It’s basically a love letter to Spello, Italy specifically, and the Umbrian region in general. The author and her family decided to move there for a year, and the book is about how they went there as Americans, and they came away as something else again. The people, the culture, the language, and the pace of life in this medieval Umbrian town enhanced them in ways they never anticipated. And Damiani writes so well that you feel like you’re right there with her. When she left Spello at the end of her year, I shed tears right along with her, because I knew I’d miss her friends, too. At least I’ll gain some comfort from some of the delicious Umbrian recipes included in the book.
It was thanks to Damiani’s book that I first learned about the Infiorate di Spello. This annual festival takes place on the weekend of the Feast of Corpus Domini (the 9th Sunday after Easter.) During this time, Spello is transformed. They have taken the spreading of flowers in advance of the procession of the Corpus Christi to a whole new level. The streets and alleys are covered in carpets of flowers that are placed in intricate, colorful, religious, and artistic designs. The townspeople are divided into competitive groups for the occasion, and gathering the flowers and herbs required for each design is a painstaking process.
Then, around 11 am on that Sunday, the procession of the Corpus Domini begins, and all the beautiful flower carpets are walked on and… well, “ruined” isn’t quite the proper word, I suppose. Just as when Buddhist Monks destroy their Mandalas, this ritual reminds me that nothing is permanent.
I’m going to include images of some of the many stunning Infiorate from years past below, but you’ll find even more if you visit the official site link above or use your favorite search engine. You won’t be disappointed. The people of Spello are true artists.
Reading this amazing book and learning about the Infiorate did convince me to alter my plans for our trip, if not the dates. We spent a few hours exploring the charming alleys in Spello, sans floral carpets though they may have been. Because of the book, I felt an odd form of nostalgia by proxy. Was I walking past people the author had come to know and love? Have some of these people created spectacular floral carpets? I’ll be blogging about that visit later. In fact, brace yourself for quite a few blog posts about Italy, because as per usual, I have a lot to say!
By the way, if you are someone who can drop everything and fly to Italy on a moment’s notice, this year’s Infiorate is June 21 and 22, 2025. Just sayin’. Either way… Le auguro pace, Caro Lettore!
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