Corpus Domini Flower Festival of Felline

A carpet of flowers for Corpus Domini

In the small village of Felline, a hamlet of the Municipality of Alliste in the Province of Lecce, the solemnity of Corpus Domini is the most cherished event of the year. Since 2005, the community has gathered around a tradition that has become part of its identity: the Corpus Domini Flower Festival, a long carpet of petals that covers the streets of the historic center and celebrates its twentieth anniversary in 2026.

Via Immacolata dressed in petals

The heart of the event is Via Immacolata, where a floral carpet is composed each year, stretching for a couple of hundred meters through the narrow streets of the ancient village. The designs, inspired by a different religious theme for each edition, take shape using carnations, roses, greenery, and rosemary, in a blend of colors and scents that transforms the pavement into a piece of ephemeral art destined to last only a few hours.

The work of the volunteers

Behind the flower festival lies over a week of intense work. Volunteers gather flowers from local greenhouses, cut greenery and rosemary from the dry-stone walls of Salento, and patiently peel the petals from the calyxes, separating the leaves from the stems. The materials are kept in cold storage provided by local florists to maintain their freshness, and only in the late afternoon of the day of the procession are the floral panels finally composed on the street. Everything is coordinated by the Apostolate of Prayer, linked to the Church of San Leucio Martire, in a project that involves entire families from the village.

The procession of the Blessed Sacrament

The climax arrives in the evening, after the solemn mass celebrated in the Church of San Leucio Martire. The Corpus Domini procession winds through the village streets and passes directly over the flower carpet: as it is stepped upon, the petals release all their fragrance, turning the liturgical act into a sensory and spiritual experience deeply rooted in the popular devotion of Salento.

Felline, Alliste, and Salento

Located just a few kilometers from the Ionian coast in lower Salento, Felline proudly guards this festival, which is part of the great tradition of Corpus Domini flower festivals found throughout Italy. Around the flower festival, the village also opens its Baronial Castle with activities for children, guided tours, and artistic and musical moments. For visitors, it is an opportunity to discover an authentic corner of Puglia, far from the most crowded tourist circuits, where popular art and spirituality intertwine in a free festival open to everyone.