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Our "decorated floats" event is usually on the last Sunday in
January. This year took place on January 27th. Its origins go back to the end of 18th
century, when flower growing began in this area of Italy and in France. There are similar events in nearby towns and cities such as the "Battle of Flowers" held in summer in Ventimiglia, the "Lemon Festival" in Menton at this same time of the year and the "Battles of Flowers" held in Nice. |
Every year a subject is chosen and the different towns and villages near Sanremo create a scene related to the subject; this takes a long time, even months before the event, but the realization of the floats comes only one day or two before, so people involved work night and day! When the floats are ready, they go along the town centre for people to see and a jury decides what float deserve the first prize: a big cup. |
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They use hundreds of thousands of flowers from this area which is
particularly rich in production, due to its mild climate: roses and carnations first, but
also violets, pansies, lilies, tuberoses, poppies, snapdragons, gladioli, mimosa and also
cultivated orchids. The result is gorgeous and colourful and tourists come from all over
Italy and also from abroad to admire it. |
Last year the chosen theme was
"Ferrari winner of the World Championship". |
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| All the participants made a scene in which a train and a tunnel appeared…all the floats were marvellous, but the winner was the floats made by Santo Stefano al Mare, a small village near Sanremo, whose people live on floriculture and tourism. The float was based on Harry Potter’s adventures, which have been greatly appreciated also by Italian children, and displayed the famous platform. |
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