Scarperia Flower Festival

The Scarperia Flower Festival: ephemeral art in the heart of Mugello

Every year, on a Sunday in May, the village of Scarperia in the municipality of Scarperia e San Piero (Metropolitan City of Florence, Tuscany) puts on its most colorful attire. The Scarperia Flower Festival turns the cobblestones of the historic center into an immense open-air art gallery, where thousands of flower petals form large paintings dedicated to a different theme each year. It is one of the most cherished ephemeral art events in the Mugello region, drawing visitors from all over Tuscany and beyond.

A popular and participatory tradition

The festival is born from the collective effort of the community: schools, associations, shopkeepers, and citizens work side by side, coordinated by the Pro Loco Scarperia. The work begins on Saturday evening, when the designs are traced in chalk on the stones of Via Roma, Piazza dei Vicari, and Piazza Clasio, while the flowers are "de-petaled" one by one. Throughout the night and into the early hours of Sunday, glue is applied and petals are laid down, creating compositions that last for only a day: it is precisely this fragility that makes them so precious.

The 2026 edition: the bicentenary of Collodi

The 45th edition, scheduled for Sunday, May 24, 2026, from 10:00 AM to 10:00 PM, is dedicated to "The Pinocchio of Carlo Collodi", in honor of the bicentenary of the birth of the Florentine writer Carlo Lorenzini. Along the streets of the village, the floral paintings retrace the adventures of the famous wooden puppet, in a tribute that unites the tradition of the Flower Festival with Tuscan children's literature.

A village to discover

The festival is also the perfect opportunity to visit one of the most characteristic villages in Mugello. Throughout the day, the historic knife workshops—Scarperia has been the "city of cutting tools" for centuries—remain open, along with shops, bars, restaurants, and trattorias. You can visit the Palazzo dei Vicari museum complex, home to the Museum of Cutting Tools (generally open 10:00-13:00 and 14:30-18:30), and climb the tower for a bird's-eye view of the flower carpets.

Useful information

• When: A Sunday in May (May 24 in 2026)
• Where: Historic center of Scarperia, along Via Roma and in the squares of Vicari and Clasio
• Admission: Free
• Organization: Pro Loco Scarperia APS

Included in the calendar of major spring festivals in Tuscany, the Scarperia Flower Festival is an ideal destination for those seeking an authentic experience blending art, tradition, and the Mugello landscape.