Infiorate di Spello

Floral creations cover streets throughout the historical centre in preparation for the passage of the Blessed Sacrament carried in procession by the bishop on Sunday morning.

As techniques evolved over time, what was once a long uninterrupted carpet of flowers, characterized by a relatively simple design, morphed into separate, more sophisticated sets of bigger compositions.

Since 1962, when the first official contest was established thanks to the funding and sponsorship of Pro Loco (local agency for the promotion of tourism presided at the time by Prof. Giacomo Prampolini), the anticipation for the proclamation of the best infiorata has become an important and essential corollary to the festivity of Corpus Domini in Spello.

Their creators are called to compose flower carpets for special occasions or to honour institutional political and religious figures such as Popes (John Paul II) and Italian Republic Presidents (Sandro Pertini and Oscar Luigi Scalfaro).

The gathering, meticulous collection and processing of these natural materials starts several months before their actual use, becoming often a year around effort in order to tap into the variety of seasonal floral species.

Drawings are either traced on the streets using chalk and the technique of division into squares, or drawn onto paper and then stuck to the ground, thus allowing bigger and more complex designs.