After years of admiring it from afar, last night, my cousin Giulia and I experienced the Infiorata di Noto, the Baroque town of Noto, Sicily’s annual flower festival. In order to arrive, we sat in a traffic jam of coach busses and cars stuffed with families. I wondered if it was worth it, and asked a group of signori (local men) leaving town if it was. They sang, “sì!”

After overcoming all of the logistics, I was not only inspired by the creativity and beauty of the flower “carpets” that lined Via Nicolaci, but also by the communal energy of the townspeople and attendees. And then there was the late evening’s fire and light show…

Another dream realized!