L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, MAY 14, 2015 www.italoamericano.org 15 L'Italo-Americano Infiorate Festivals: Flower Power Long before the romantic, peaceful "flower power" move- ment of the 1960s in which hip- pies decorated their cars and homes with flowers, cities in I t a l y w e r e d e c o r a t i n g t h e i r s t r e e t s a n d a l l e y w a y s w i t h pretty, intricate flower petal designs. Since the 1600s, cer- t a i n I t a l i a n c i t i e s h a v e h e l d flower art festivals, known as Infiorata, each May and June. The most important festivals occur in Noto, Genzano, and Spello. Artists use flower petals to make artwork that they display in streets, abbeys, and often in front of churches. The word "infiorata" means "decorated with flowers", and the pieces c a n a l s o b e m a d e w i t h s o i l , beans, wood, or other plants. O n J u n e 2 9 , 1 6 2 5 , t h e V a t i c a n ' s h e a d - f l o r i s t B e n e d e t t o D r e i a n d h i s s o n m a d e m o s a i c s w i t h f l o w e r petals to decorate Saint Peter's B a s i l i c a o n t h e f e a s t d a y o f Saints Peter and Paul, Rome's patron saints. Baroque artist and architect Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598- 1680) spread this flower art throughout Rome. He used it especially for the baroque festi- vals he sponsored. Bernini is w e l l k n o w n f o r c r e a t i n g S t . P e t e r ' s B a l d a c h i n o r Baldacchino, the large bronze canopy atop the high altar of the famous papal enclave. He was appointed chief architect for the basilica under Pope Urban VIII. The flower custom faded out of Rome in the seventeenth cen- tury, but the Castelli Romani townspeople continued the tra- dition. It eventually became part of the Christian Corpus Domini (Corpus Christi) cele- bration in Genzano in which a brightly colored flower carpet would lay in the center of the long street. I t i s h e l d e a c h J u n e o n C o r p u s D o m i n i , t h e S u n d a y n i n e w e e k s a f t e r E a s t e r . I n Genzano, Lazio, twelve grand f l o w e r p a i n t i n g s c o v e r t h e ground. The Corpus Domini procession walks down the cen- ter of the carpet made out of flowers, and the children later run through and undo the flower display to symbolize rebirth and renewal. Noto's Infiorata festival in Sicily occurs during the third weekend of May. Beginning in 1980, this spring celebration allows local artists to showcase their skills using a uniquely natural medium. Everyone par- ticipates – including the local prisoners, who feature their own flower petal art. The main exhi- bition happens on Via Nicolaci, where people are surrounded by flower images below them and baroque balconies above them. The small Umbrian town of Spello has a big infiorata in which thousands of people work t o g e t h e r t o c r e a t e a n d p l a c e flower art along Spello's nar- row streets. Originating in the 1930s, Spello's festival occurs on the ninth Sunday after Easter at the Corpus Domini Feast. Spello originally featured a simple, long flower carpet, but now the drawings have become more sophisticated and grand. Unlike many other infiorata JANE HUSON festivals, Spello's uses wild, uncultivated flowers. The festi- val requires a year-long effort to acquire all seasonal flower types in the diverse Umbria countryside. Artists usually spend months p a i n t i n g t h e f l o w e r d e s i g n itself. Then, they sketch the image in the floor with chalk or pencil and mark the separating lines with coffee grounds or dirt b e f o r e f i l l i n g t h e m i n w i t h f l o w e r p e t a l s . T h e i n f i o r a t e festivals are proud to only use fresh flowers (not embellished with dye or other color enhan- cers). The flower paintings are made on clay canvases with the original drawing below serving as an outline. T h e I n f i o r a t e - d e c o r a t e d streets are generally selected months before the event, and t h e y a r e m a t c h e d w i t h t h e Corpus Domini Procession. The town people play vital roles in carrying out the celebration, from hosting culinary options to organizing the flower arrange- ments. Throughout time, flowers have been sources of peace, joy, and beauty, and the infiorate f e s t i v a l s a r e n o e x c e p t i o n . These incredible, vibrant flower creations are the perfect way f o r I t a l i a n s t o c e l e b r a t e t h e spring season. The intense work that the artists put into the festi- val may not be a bed of roses, but it is certainly admired and enjoyed by tourists and locals alike. In Spello, the infiorate-decorated streets are selected months before the event and they are matched with the Corpus Domini Procession Noto's Infiorata festival in Sicily, occurs during the third weekend of May

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