This post is also available in: Italiano (Italian)

Every year the Infiorata Festival takes place in Bolsena, celebrating the Corpus Domini celebration – linked to the Miracle of the Eucharist, remembered and revered as the Eucharistic prodigy “par excellence”, which took place in 1263, in the Basilica of Santa Cristina.
Most unique artistic creations are painstakingly prepared by expert locals – “infioratori” – who make extensive use of broom, cornflower, acacia, poppies, rose, “fojone” (seeds of a plant from uncultivated land), common vetch (Vicia Sativa), hydrangea, marigold, carnation, daisy and many other varieties. Seeds and leaves are used as well, as the whole festival is blessed with mesmerizing shades of yellow, red, green, and cornflower light blue. The very artistic creations depict landscapes, symbols, geometric shapes, and even famous paintings.
The artists first put their ideas on paper or the pavement, then they cover them with sawdust, black oxide, peat, and coffee grounds, while wet petals eventually follow.
On that day, flowers literally pave the streets, thus celebrating a more than 200 years old tradition.

This post is also available in: Italiano (Italian)