The Corpus Domini Infiorata Festival in Servigliano: a journey into an unique tradition

The Italian tradition to color every year the streets of the villages with thousands and thousands of flowers petals has ancient origins mostly lost in the mists of time. From North to South Italy, the Infiorata Festival marks the religious event of Corpus Christi which still is a very heartfelt festivity in many Italian regions and which falls every year on the first Sunday after Pentecost (this is the reason why the official date changes from year to year).

The scenographic creations made with flowers petals on the pavement of the streets without using glue or other adhesive substances usually represent religious scenes or flower compositions, an hymn to the nature and to the faith. The work behind an Infiorata Festival is so huge with many volunteers in the previous days working on the petals with stencils so to give the greatest shapes of the coloured installations, moreover the floral smell in the streets during the Infiorata is an incredible experience lo live at least once in a life.

Servigliano is a little gem of Marche region, a typical Italian borgo with high walls, access doors, the main church and some beautiful palaces. It is famous for its iconic urban quadrilateral, its story of rebuilding as the ideal city of the XVIIIth century, which is the reason why for many decades it had been given another name: Castel Clementino. Every June, on the occasion of the annual religious festivity of the Corpus Domini, Servigliano hosts the Infiorata Festival which starts also with a religious procession involving every year the whole community to be realized.

Every year, an uninterrupted carpet of almost a kilometer made of coloured flower petals decorates the historic urban quadrilateral city center of Servigliano on the occasion of the Corpus Domini festivity. The beautiful floral path is made by the infioratori, the volunteers of Servigliano community who work to transform in petals the flowers picked the day before. The layout is an incredible scenographic composition which represents art scenes, geometric patterns and symbol of this religious festivity.

This multitude of fresh flowers thrills with its shapes, scents, colors; an entire community that works to lay out an uninterrupted floral carpet and to draw with chalk the subjects that will be patiently covered in flowers.

The Infiorata Festival of Servigliano must be ready for the religious procession which passed throw the city center during the late morning of every Corpus Domini  Sunday with the presence of the authorities and the whole community of Servigliano. 

Servigliano is not the only village which celebrates the festivity of the Corpus Christi with an Infiorata Festival. Almost each Italian region hosts every year at least one Infiorata, the most famous are: in Gerano, close to Rome, probably the first Infiorata ever of this ancient tradition; in Noto, the baroque city of Sicily; in Spello and Assisi, the homeland of Saint Francis, or in Pietra Ligure which hosts the largest Infiorata Festival in Europe.

Travelling to Servigliano during the Corpus Christi Infiorata Festival is a great occasion to visit this charming village of Marche region at its best, when all the city center is decorated with floral compositions. It is also the opportunity to learn this ancient tradition and to be part of the community of this hidden gem which feels so much the religious festivity of Corpus Christi by taking part to its solemn celebrations. Keep in mind that all the floral installations are temporary so be sure to arrive on time before the flower petals whiter. In addition, do not forget to check when the Corpus Christi Sunday falls: indeed its date, depending on Easter and the Pentecost, changes every year.