Recommended itinerary among the smells and colors of a Florida city

GironaGirona, Temps de Flors celebrates its 70th anniversary with no signs of decline and a renewed appeal that suggests a record-breaking edition that could exceed 400,000 visitors. The exhibition, which runs from May 10 to 18, has planned a very special edition featuring 146 floral projects spread across 114 venues. In addition to the traditional monumental settings, new venues are added, allowing access to corners of the city usually off-limits to visitors. This year, moreover, without the threat of drought as seen in previous editions, the organizers promise more flowers, more music, and more light than ever. We review the main new features of this year's exhibition and highlight the must-see venues.

The ornamentation of the great Baroque staircase of Girona Cathedral is always one of the most exciting and memorable experiences for most visitors. This time, the project featured a striking display simulating a cascade of flowers and water. This project was led by Anna Maria Figa, Margarita Pla, and Carolina Rodríguez, with the participation of members of the Friends of Flowers Association and the collaboration of municipal brigades.

Flower Time is a great opportunity to visit the damp basements of Girona Cathedral, where the floral display sheds its darkness thanks to the colorful and luminous displays created. For a decade, BBVA has collaborated with the decoration of this space with artistic proposals that aim to raise awareness about the need to preserve the environment. This year's display, entitled Resilient nature, which will occupy the large room in the basement, has been created and produced by the students of the master's degree in design and production of spaces at the UPC School - CCCB.

The Eiffel Bridge over the Onyar, with its distinctive red color and privileged views of the emblematic facades overlooking the river, the cathedral, and Sant Feliu, is one of the most photographed spaces in Girona. Flower Time multiplies its appeal with always exuberant displays. This year, the bridge will be decorated with mimosas that resemble a large yellow cloud, evoking Mercè Rodoreda's description of the branches of this plant as "yellow clouds." The display is being carried out by students in the second year of ephemeral architecture at the Tarragona Provincial Council School of Art and Design in Reus (EADR).

The historic Casa Sabater building on Gran Vía Jaume I, designed by modernist architect Isidre Bosch i Bataller, recreates life in the house at the beginning of the 20th century and is part of Temps de Flors for the first time. This is a great opportunity to leave the heart of the Barri Vell neighborhood and visit it. The recently restored house shines with a temporary floral project on the façade, featuring period figures taken from the INSPAI Provincial Council's photographic archive. The building also houses the Espai Casa Sabater in the former carriage house, which is currently hosting free personal growth activities under the theme "Well-being and Flowers."

With the aim of loosening up the Barri Vell and avoiding overcrowding, two entrance areas to the old town will be reinforced with several projects to diversify visitor attention. On the one hand, Plaça del Vino and Carrer de la Alameda will host three new exhibition spaces: the courtyard of Casa Carles, the emblematic building that housed a basketry and flower shop, and also under the arch of Carrer del Auriga.

The steps of the Municipal Theater and the air-raid shelter are being reclaimed as exhibition spaces after a few years without flowers, and the Town Hall courtyard will have a floral project commemorating the 40th anniversary of its twinning relationship with the city of Albí. Furthermore, Rambla de la Llibertat will have more flowers than ever, with projects on the façade of Casa Norat and under Les Voltes. The flowers will reach Carrer de la Argenteria, connecting with the bridges over the Onyar and Plaça de la Independència.

The Archaeological Walk, which follows the Carolingian wall and the medieval towers of the old city walls, hosts various installations that unite past and present. Among them, the exhibition Within time, within flowers, an immersive exhibition created to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the flower show. Created by Aina Caballero Gayolà and Nil Brussosa Arnau, the exhibition invites visitors to enter a tunnel made of cardboard tubes and travel back in time to recall, through images and flowers, the most notable moments in the history of the flower festival.

A visit to the Monastery of Sant Daniel, located in the valley of the same name, a short distance from Girona's Barri Vell, is always recommended. During this edition of Temps de Flors, the visit is even more attractive, as the building's architectural beauty will be accentuated by an installation of 10 large canvases of lace and fabric evoking the 1,100th anniversary of the founding of the monastery, where a Benedictine community of nuns lives. The installation is the work of the Puntaires de Girona, the Llotja Design School, Encajeras la Almozara (Zaragoza), and the Taller Textil de Escaldes-Engordany.

Almost as ostentatious as the cathedral's, the steps of the church of Sant Feliu are decorated with striking ornaments for Temps de Flors. This year the curator dress The staircase is designed by Vicenç Sencianes Camacho, who seeks to symbolize cultural diversity through colored ribbons, which are complemented by triangular spaces with plants as a symbol of the confluence of different cultures and their richness.

The A Cappella Festival has already taken root in Temps de Flors, bringing high-quality international and local musical offerings to the Plaça de la Independència, in the heart of the Barri Vell district, for over a decade. This year's edition will open with the heartfelt Heaven on Earth Gospel (May 10 at 6 p.m.) and close with the band El Pony Pisador (May 18 at 6 p.m.). The Hanfris Quartet, Markooz, and In Crescendo, among others, will also perform. Performances in the Plaça de la Independència are free, but the festival also includes some paid performances, such as those by the Cor Jove Amics de la Unió (Young Friends of the Union) at the Girona Auditorium, or by the Girona Polyphonic Chapel at the Sant Daniel Monastery.

Among the new features for this edition is the programming of a daily musical performance under the umbrella of Flower and Music Nights, which will complement the A Cappella festival. Jazz and blues concerts will be scheduled in the Josep Tarrés and Fontan Gardens, in the Gironella Tower; the Plaza de los Jurados; outside the La Mercè Cultural Center; and in Sant Domènec Square. The organizers also promise more lighting, such as the installation of the Archaeological Walk, designed so that visitors can explore the gardens at night.