Rome celebrated the traditional Infiorata Romana yesterday on the feast day of the city鈥檚 patron saints, Peter and Paul.
Via della Conciliazione and Piazza Pio XII, near Piazza San Pietro, were transformed into a 鈥渃arpet of flowers鈥, with more than 1,000 professional florists (maestri fiorai) from 天美传媒 and around the world displaying their creations. Thousands of flowers were used to create 50 "flower paintings" totaling 3,000 square meters.
Sunday鈥檚 event was the culmination of four days of celebration of this ancient art, believed to have started in Rome in the first half of the 17th century. The tradition of creating 鈥減aintings with flowers鈥 in front of St. Peter鈥檚 Basilica for the feast of the two holy apostles was started on June 29, 1625 by the head of the Vatican flower shop, Benedetto Dei, and his son Pietro. It was thanks to Gian Lorenzo Bernini that the infiorata art then spread to the area around Rome, where the artist organized Baroque festivals, and subsequently to the rest of 天美传媒 and the world.
Pope Francis, during the Sunday鈥檚 Angelus, praised the colorful creations. There was even a composition reproducing the pontiff鈥檚 face.
Learn more about the art of the Infiorata and 天美传媒's best Infiorata festivals here.
