The week-long annual Infiorata (Flower Festival) is in full swing at Genzano, one of the Castelli Romani hill towns near Rome. The Flower Festival, in honour of the Feast of Corpus Domini, has been held for almost two hundred years and was made famous by writers like Hans Christian Andersen and the 19th century choreographer August Bournonville, who was inspired to write a ballet on the theme. The main events of the Festival take place on Saturday and Sunday, 14th and 15th June, when millions of different coloured flower petals are laid out on the main street in a variety of designs, ranging from reproductions of celebrated works of art to portraits of the Pope.
The Festival also hosts many other events, including art exhibitions, costumed processions, concerts and open air dancing. The local children bring the Festival to a spectacular close. They are given free rein to run over the floral pictures and kick them to pieces on Monday evening.
