From 8 to 14 September 2025 in the locality of Carzano, Monte Isola, the five-yearly Monte Isola “Flower Festival” will be held, as it is called by all tourists, in reality its real name is “Festa di Santa Croce”.
Every five years, the villages of Carzano and Novale di Monte Isola (Lake Iseo – Brescia) are coloured with magnificent paper flowers that have been handmade by the women of the village of Carzano for generations.
The fulcrum of the events is the 14 September, the day on which the Liturgy celebrates the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, and on this occasion, the procession with the Holy Relic of the Cross of Christ takes place in the small village to renew the vow. All this in an atmosphere of the highest charm at any hour of the day or night.
Over 70,000 visitors and more than 200,000 colourful flowers made by the women of the village, who have been handing down the creation of uniquely beautiful flower decorations for many decades.
A little history: the birth of the celebration can be traced back to the year 1836. At that time, Asian cholera hit the Lake Iseo area hard, claiming victims everywhere, particularly in the small villages of Carzano and Novale where the highest number of deaths in relation to the local population was recorded. The inhabitants of these villages, in order to be spared from the raging disease, asked for grace by making a vow to the Holy Cross: they promised to honour it with a magnificent feast every five years.