This weekend is the 38th annual Infiorata di Noto, or Noto Flower Festival. This year’s theme is “Sogni e colori del Principato di Monaco” or “Dreams and Colors of Monaco.” Over the last two days, along the Baroque town’s via Nicolaci, different art-school groups have been laying out their mosaic designs of flower petals and other natural materials into “carpets.” Utilizing elements including fennel, wheat, lavender, myrtle, olive and other tree leaves, carob powder, beans, dirt, sunflower seeds, onion, and of course, flower petals of different colors and species, the artists create vibrant images that inspire visitors who come from all over the world. On Friday, they inaugurated the festival, which also includes a street fair, live music and dance performances, poetry readings, and art exhibitions. When it’s all over, on Monday, the town’s children are invited to gleefully destroy the “carpets,” a ritual that represents sweeping out the old and bringing in the new. 

(Photo by Experience Sicily’s local guide Sebastiano Garifo. Thank you Sebastiano!)