Baroque Noto in Bloom

Buongiorno a tutti! I hope that you are all well and that you acted upon my previous blog post's advice to indulge in a Spring Sicilian 'scampagnata'! Today I want to talk about the Infiorata di Noto which is due to take place from the 18th to the 21st of May in the Siracusan town of Noto. This is a beautiful flower festival which takes place each year on the third Sunday of May.

On the Friday of the festival, artists start to create their own individual work of art with flower petals, organic seeds and a special kind of soil. These pieces all come together to create a beautiful flower scene stretching all of the way along the Via Corrado Nicolaci. The stunning effect is almost like a stained glass window and leads up to Chiesa di Montevergini which is also worth a visit to see its beautiful ornate marble altar and concave facade. Hundreds of visitors will come to the festival over the weekend to enjoy the 'Infiorata' and on the Monday local children will be allowed to run through the flowers to destroy the exhibit until next year.

Via Corrado Nicolaci is also home to the elegant Palazzo Nicolaci, a Baroque-style residence which now houses the local library and is renowned for its intricate balconies such as the one in the image below. The city of Noto is famous for its 18th century buildings including its beautiful cathedral and has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site

Anyone who won't be able to make it to Noto for the flower festival should at least make a visit to our new Facebook group - Siclian Connections 'La Piazza' at the following link -http://www.facebook.com/sicilian.connections#!/groups/304770149603514/. This group has been created to allow our friends across the world to share their favourite Sicilian photographs and songs so please join us!

A presto!

Debra
www.sicilianconnections.com

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