Infiorata of Pisoniano (Corpus Christi)
The Corpus Christi flower carpet in the village of the Prenestini Mountains
About Infiorata of Pisoniano
A village covered in flowers
Pisoniano is a small municipality of just over seven hundred inhabitants, perched on the Prenestini Mountains, in the province of Rome, in the heart of Lazio. For one Sunday a year, that of Corpus Christi, this quiet village becomes the destination of thousands of visitors: along Via Roma a flower carpet about 120 metres long and three wide is laid out, composed entirely by hand by the community. It is the Infiorata of Pisoniano, one of the most deeply rooted ephemeral-art events of the Prenestino area.
A tradition from long ago
The custom of scattering flowers as the Blessed Sacrament passes was born in Rome in the seventeenth century: the first documented infiorata is the one arranged in the Vatican by Benedetto Drei in 1625, a practice that then spread through the Castelli Romani, partly thanks to the influence of Gian Lorenzo Bernini. Parish archives attest that from the second half of the eighteenth century the infiorata for Corpus Christi was already prepared in Pisoniano too. Since then the custom has never been interrupted, handed down from generation to generation within the families of the village.
How the flower carpet is made
The work begins long before the festival. In the preceding weeks the volunteers roam the mountains and countryside around the village to gather broom, poppies, wild fennel and every other flower useful to the palette. The petals are then stripped and reduced to tiny fragments, kept and sorted by colour in the cellar of Via del Castello, which for days becomes a collective workshop. Alongside the flowers, natural materials such as coloured sawdust, bark, seeds and coffee grounds are used.
- The evening before the procession the designs are traced on the paving, following sketches prepared in advance
- Work goes on all night, panel after panel, with children, adults and the elderly taking part
- Around midnight the Pro Loco offers a convivial moment to those working in the street
- At dawn the work is complete and stays intact until the procession passes
Art, faith and community
The flower panels alternate sacred subjects — Eucharistic symbols, Marian images, references to the Gospel — with geometric and decorative motifs. The competition named after "Don Remo Ronci" rewards the finest compositions and closes the day, after the Holy Mass and the Corpus Christi procession that crosses the carpet, undoing it for good. This very fragility is the meaning of the festival: a work of art meant to last a few hours, valued for the shared work that produced it more than for the result.
What to see besides the infiorata
The Sunday does not end with the contemplation of the panels. Along Via Piagge a craft, organic and food market is set up, while the Hemp Museum — a record of a historic local activity — opens its doors hosting photographic and art exhibitions. In recent years the programme has grown with street food, a parade of flag-waver groups and concerts by the town band, which fill the afternoon before the liturgical celebrations.
Why it is worth the trip
Unlike the more famous and touristy infiorate of Lazio, the one in Pisoniano keeps a village and intimate dimension. There are no tickets or fences: you enter the village, walk along the carpet, watch the hands still adjusting a detail. For those visiting the Prenestini Mountains in June it is the best chance to understand how a small community still recognises itself in an ancient gesture, repeated every year with the same care.
Infiorata of Pisoniano — edition 2026
A record edition
The 2026 Infiorata of Pisoniano confirmed the vitality of a tradition that the small village of the Prenestini Mountains has kept since the eighteenth century. The flower carpet, made entirely with natural materials gathered on the mountains and in the surrounding countryside, was composed during the night between Saturday 6 and Sunday 7 June along Via Roma, with dozens of volunteers coordinated by the Pro Loco of Pisoniano.
What was new in 2026
The edition was enriched with several novelties that broadened the Sunday programme: a craft and food market with street-food offerings along Via Piagge, the parade of the "Flag-wavers and musicians of the 7 historic districts" of Carpineto Romano and the concert of the Cav. Paolacci Town Band of San Vito Romano. The day closed, as tradition dictates, with the Holy Mass, the Corpus Christi procession over the flower carpet and the awards of the "Don Remo Ronci" competition.
The bond between generations
The symbol of the edition was Mario Proietti, 94, filmed as he completed a flower panel together with Fabrizio Nini: an image that captures the meaning of this festival, where the bond between art and faith runs through the shared work of the whole village.
Programme Infiorata of Pisoniano 2026
Friday 5 June
- Delivery of flowers and preparation of materials at the cellar of Via del Castello
Saturday 6 June
- From the evening: creation of the flower panels along Via Roma, collective work throughout the night
- Convivial moment offered by the Pro Loco to the volunteers
Sunday 7 June
- From the morning: the flower carpet opens to visitors along Via Roma
- Craft, organic and food market with street food in Via Piagge
- 11:00 — Parade of the "Flag-wavers and musicians of the 7 historic districts" of Carpineto Romano
- Early afternoon — Concert of the Cav. Paolacci Town Band of San Vito Romano
- 16:30 — Solemn Holy Mass, followed by the Corpus Christi procession along the infiorata
- Afterwards — Awards of the "Don Remo Ronci" competition
Highlights Infiorata of Pisoniano 2026
- Flower carpet about 120 metres long along Via Roma, made only with petals, coloured sawdust and bark
- The night of flowers: the collective composition of the panels between Saturday and Sunday
- Parade of the flag-wavers of Carpineto Romano (new in 2026)
- Concert of the Cav. Paolacci Town Band of San Vito Romano
- Corpus Christi procession that crosses and dissolves the work
- Awards of the "Don Remo Ronci" competition
- Craft market and street food in Via Piagge
Prices Infiorata of Pisoniano 2026
Practical information — Infiorata of Pisoniano
Getting there
Pisoniano is about 50 km from Rome, on the Prenestini Mountains. By car: A24 Tivoli exit, then SS5 Tiburtina and provincial roads towards Ciciliano and Pisoniano; alternatively via Palestrina and San Vito Romano. By public transport: train or metro to Tivoli or Zagarolo, then a Cotral bus towards the Aniene valley. The old town is closed to traffic on infiorata day: park on the edge of the village and continue on foot.
Entry and times
Access to the infiorata is free. The flower panels can be admired from early Sunday morning until the procession passes in the late afternoon: after that, the carpet is irretrievably broken up. Those who want to experience the most striking part can arrive on Saturday evening and watch the night-time creation along Via Roma.
Useful tips
- Comfortable shoes: the village is on a slope and on stone paving
- The decorated streets must not be walked on before the procession
- The craft market in Via Piagge opens in the morning
- Those who wish to support the event can join the "Friend of the Infiorata" scheme through the Pro Loco
Contacts
Pro Loco Pisoniano — [email protected] — tel. +39 334 3199690 / +39 329 6112700
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Where does it take place — Infiorata of Pisoniano
Centro storico di Pisoniano - Via Roma
Via Roma, 00020 Pisoniano