Casatori Flower Festival

A carpet of petals in the heart of the Agro Nocerino Sarnese

The Casatori Flower Festival is one of the most renowned ephemeral art events in Campania. It takes place in the Casatori district of the municipality of San Valentino Torio, in the province of Salerno, nestled in the heart of the Agro Nocerino Sarnese, the land of the San Marzano tomato. Since 1996, the event has been held on the third weekend of September, coinciding with the celebrations in honor of Our Lady of Sorrows, the parish patron and co-patron of the city.

The origins of the flower festival

On the day before the festival, the floral artists lay down protective covers on the asphalt and work for hours, kneeling on the ground, to compose designs using millions of petals sorted by color. Nothing is painted: everything is crafted from fresh flowers, seeds, leaves, and natural materials. The result lasts only a few hours—the time it takes for the procession to pass over it—and it is precisely this fragility that makes the tradition so poignant.

The most spectacular element is the large vertical display set up at Largo Tringiale: a figurative structure about ten meters high, requiring over one hundred thousand fresh flowers. The horizontal carpets are laid out along Via Santa Maria delle Grazie and throughout the village streets.

The six districts

The heart of the event lies in the six districts of Casatori, which bring their flowers in procession as a floral tribute to the Virgin:

• Gelso
• Giglio
• Leonessa
• Spiga
• Torre
• Rivo

Every year, the Le Vie dei Colori Cultural Association, under the spiritual guidance of the parish priest and the artistic direction of master floral artists, selects a religious theme that inspires all the designs: in 2024, "Prayer: Gateway to Life," and in 2025, "Pilgrims of Hope," in harmony with the Jubilee.

The Festival of Flower Festivals and the young artists

Since 1998, the event has hosted the Festival of Flower Festivals, bringing together delegations of floral artists from various Italian regions to Casatori. Each group creates its own composition, sparking a unique exchange of styles and techniques in Southern Italy. Alongside the festival, the national school competition "A Sketch for the Flower Festival" and the National Review of Young Floral Artists take place, dedicating a specific street section to children, featuring subjects inspired by cartoons and mythology.

Towards UNESCO recognition

In 2024, the official candidacy of the Casatori Flower Festival for UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage status was launched, recognizing the knowledge passed down from generation to generation. The initiative has been promoted beyond the village, with floral displays created in prestigious venues such as the Royal Palace of Naples. In 2025, the event reached the milestone of thirty editions.

What to experience in Casatori

• The floral tribute of the six districts and the setup of the vertical display
• The long night of work by the floral artists, open to visitors strolling through the streets
• The floral compositions by guest municipalities of the Festival of Flower Festivals
• The young floral artists' review and school competitions
• The solemn celebration and the procession of Our Lady of Sorrows over the flower carpets
• Live music, folk groups, and the festival of ancient local flavors

For those visiting Campania in September, the Casatori Flower Festival is a rare opportunity: a grassroots event that blends Marian devotion, artistic craftsmanship, and the agricultural generosity of a land of flowers and vegetables.