The Infiorata of Genzano di Roma

Held every June  in conjunction with Corpus Domini, the Infiorata of Genzano di Roma is one of the most famous and largest infiorata in all of Italy.   An explosion of colors, this festival boasts works of art made of flowers lining the street and a centuries old tradition. 

The festival dates back to 1778, and has grown to be a huge celebration of art, culture, folklore and faith, attracting thousands of visitors both from Italy and abroad.

Artists use flower petals, seeds, soil and other organic materials  to create 13 to 15 floral petal “quadri” or panels  of either religious themes, reproductions of famous paintings, or geometric motifs. 

 

These panels form one continuous carpet leading from the main piazza, Piazza IV Novembre,  all the way up via Italo Belardi to the Church of Santa Maria della Cima.

One year, they changed to via Buono Bozzi, where my inlaws have their home; we had a fantastic view from above that year.

The street is completely covered with a floral, polychrome carpet, covering an area of  2000 m2 or 22, 000 square feet; over 1,000 lbs or 450 kg of flower petals, seeds, soil and organic material are used. The floral paintings, made of various petals chosen and placed with artistic care, form brightly colored pictures, designs and figures.

Although the festival is in June, the planning is year-round.  Each year a theme is decided and designs are submitted in January  to a commission for selection. The Thursday leading up to the festival the “stripping” of the flowers occurs, petals are then dived by color, placed in in boxes  and kept in the underground caves of Town Hall. 

The paintings are outlined on the pavement on Friday and the petals are placed on Saturday evening and Sunday morning.

On Sunday, the town is in full festival mode to take part in this spectacular event of art, faith and culture. 

The religious Solemn Procession of Corpus Domini takes place on Sunday in the  late afternoon.

On Monday,  local folkloristic groups in their period costumes  provide a charming and visual  town history during their procession.

The festival concludes with the “spallamento”;  children run from the church stairs through the panels,  all the way to the piazza, erasing the infiorata in  jubilant glee. 

 

In 2020 and 2021 the event was either virtual or scaled back due COVID-19, but returns to all its glory in 2022.