SPELLO
Infiorata
Nancy and I timed our visit to Spello, Italy to see the famous Spello’s Infiorata. Infiorata means decorated with flowers. Each year on the 9th Sunday after Easter, hundreds of people in the community collect flowers which are used to carpet the streets with colorful pictures. They spend weeks striping the plants of their petals, leaves or berries to be used to "paint" the streets. This is a very old festival – probably beginning in Spello in the mid 1800s. We were lucky to rent an apartment right in the middle of the action.
Spello
Spello is a picturesque Umbrian town that retains its past as a medieval, walled city. It was established in ancient Roman times as Hispellum. Although not a tourist magnet like nearby Assisi, it has quite a few tourists and is home to many Americans and others who enjoy its restaurants, shops, and galleries.
Spello
Spello is a picturesque Umbrian town that retains its past as a medieval, walled city. It was established in ancient Roman times as Hispellum. Although not a tourist magnet like nearby Assisi, it has quite a few tourists and is home to many Americans and others who enjoy its restaurants, shops, and galleries.
Preparations:
For weeks before the infiorata festival, hundreds of Spello citizens collect flowers from the countryside and strip off their petals or leaves. The petals are essentially the colored yarn for their tappeti (carpets) which decorate the streets.
For weeks before the infiorata festival, hundreds of Spello citizens collect flowers from the countryside and strip off their petals or leaves. The petals are essentially the colored yarn for their tappeti (carpets) which decorate the streets.
The finished products line the streets:
The religious procession:
The next day -- Spello is back to normal.