Nola and the Gigli Festival

The Festa dei Gigli commemorates the return of San Paolino (Saint Paulinus), the bishop of Nola, after selling himself into slavery in North Africa to save a Nola citizen from the same fate. Upon his return via boat, the town citizens greeted him with lilies (gigli in Italian). Today, those lilies are represented by eight giant (25 meter tall, 2500 kg) wooden spires carried by teams of men with very sore backs. There is also a tower with a boat, representing the one San Paolino took back to Nola.Events

• The feast actually lasts for most of June (indeed, preparations begin months in advance), but the main event is on the first Sunday after (or on) June 22nd. On that day, starting around 9 AM, each of the nine gigli (8 spires plus the 1 boat) start a long procession/march/dance/concert from various quarters of the city to the Piazza del Duomo in the center of the city. They all meet there around noon, where the bishop blesses the crowd and the gigli, and San Paolino's relics are paraded around. There is a brief pause in activity (for riposo, of course!) from about 2 until 4, when a city-wide parade begins, whose festivities end quite late.Official schedule (in Italian): www.meridies-nola.org/festagigli/festagigli.html
• Very detailed description of events, including a description of the parade route (in Italian): www.giglidinola.tv/site/festa_attuale.html (site is down but check out this archive)

Getting There