The Infiorata of Spello — Two Parts Italy

In Italian, the word fiore means flowers. An infiorata is a festival in which flowers are used to create stunning, but temporary, works of art. A wonderful tradition in Italy is to celebrate the Feast of Corpus Domini, which falls about 60 days after Easter, with an infiorata. Many towns participate in this tradition, some are small local celebrations, while others are large events which draw thousands of visitors. The celebrations are not just about art or flowers – they are at heart religious celebrations in which the fleeting designs are offerings – and they guide people up the village streets to the church.

On any normal day, the town of Spello is filled with flowers. They spill from window boxes, fill pots in little alleys, and line the steps of buildings, creating one of Umbria’s most charming villages. But on the Sunday of the annual Infiorata, Spello takes flower displays to exponentially greater levels. It is one of the most famous Infiorate in Italy, and something I have long wanted to experience. This year I finally got my chance when a visit to the event was included as part of a 4-day cooking class in Umbria (more about that in upcoming posts).

The city of Spello closes to traffic on Saturday evening when tarp coverings are placed over the streets. Teams work under the lighted tarps throughout the night, using only natural plant materials (petals, stems, leaves, herbs) to create detailed designs. The materials can be fresh or naturally dried but no artificial colors or materials can be used. The labor is intensive, placing petals by hand, making a design come to life, keeping the petals moist, and staying up all night to do it!

One of the most elaborate of the tappeti at this year’s Infiorata

There are two main types of works – quadri, which are large scale “paintings” and tappeti, long “carpets” of designs which are often geometric shapes. Templates with the designs are worked on over time and then taped to the ground and used to create the displays.

It is hard to describe the scale of the Infiorata. The designs wind up hill from the entrance to Spello near Porta Consolare, fill the Piazza della Republica, and continue up through the city up to its highest point. The route is about a mile long in total. Along the way are spectacular works of art, many reflecting religious themes (this is after all a celebration of a Catholic feast day), others have broader messages, and some are just pretty reflections of nature. The event is also a competition, with winners in several categories announced at the end of the celebration.

My favorite work featured these delightful animals

It is best to arrive early (or even stay in town the night before) as the tarps start to come down by 8:00 am, the crowds are waiting, and arriving later can mean a long wait to get in. The climb can be strenuous if you happen to have a really hot day, so earlier is better. Luckily our weather was perfect and not hot at all, and the way the displays wound gradually up hill made the walk easy. One confession though, I did most of the route but skipped the steepest part at the end. It can be a challenge to get photos of the larger works as everyone is trying to get close enough and to find the right just the right angle. There are some scaffolds that can be climbed to get shots from above, and I bet the photos from drone that was flying overhead were amazing. Most of my photos have lots of feet in them! The best photos zoom in on details - are here are some of the most intriguing ones.

The procession moves through the flower art on the way to the church (photo from the Commune of Spello)

Come too late and you’ll miss the fun all together. The works provide a path for a procession led by the Bishop, who walks right over the beautiful creations. The procession begins around 11 am. By the end of the day, it will all be swept away. But this is not sad – it is as it is meant to be.

And now begins the planning for next year’s Infiorata. Easter comes early next year, on March 28th. The Infiorata will be Sunday May 30, 2027. Now’s the time to think about coming!