Miss Comuni Fioriti to fly the Italian flag at Miss Beaujolais beauty pageant in France

TURIN, Italy: Piedmont-born Arianna Giardino, winner of Asproflor’s 2021 Miss Comuni Fioriti (Miss Communities in Bloom) pageant will be the guest of honour at the 25th Miss Beaujolais beauty contest in Villefranche-sur-Saône, France on 5 March 2022.  

In October 2021, Arianna Giardino, a student and judo aficionada, represented here home town Usseglio (Turin) in Asproflor’s beauty contest, one of the annual side events held at EIMA’s machinery show in Bologna. Asproflor is the trade association for ornamental horticulture in Italy’s northwestern Piedmont region.

“I am honoured and delighted to represent Italy and my home town at such a prestigious event,” says  Miss Comuni Fioriti. She and Miss France 2022 will be the two special guests of honour at the pageant. In is not the first time that Italy’s Miss Communities in Bloom attend the Miss Beaujolais contest. Miss Comuni Fioriti 2018 Gaia Pompili and Miss Comuni Fioriti 2019, Ludovica Tucci have already been flying the Italian flag at the Miss Beaujolais pageant.

The prominent presence of the Miss Comuni Fioriti at Miss Beaujolais is the result of a blooming collaboration between Asproflor and the transalpine association La Bonne Europe, which began at Cervia Città Giardino, one of Europe’s iconic gardening shows.

“We are proud that Arianna will represent Italy and our Association at the 2022 edition of this glittering French event,” says Asproflor’s president Sergio Ferraro.

Asproflor was established in 1980 and has played a pivotal role in advancing, protecting and promoting the industry. In 1996 and 2018, it helped to build Piedmont’s regional pavilion at Euroflora. The same task awaits them for the 2022 AIPH-approved Euroflora show which will take place between 23 April until 8 May 2022 in Genua, Italy.

In 2004, Asproflor succeeded in launching an annual Community in Bloom competition in Italy, reminiscent of the first community gardening project that was born in Austria a century ago. In the early years, the Comuni Fioriti competition was more or less a Piedmont affair. But back in 2007, the contest gained national recognition. In 17 years, 2000 Italian towns and villages have participated in the Comuni Fioriti competition.

Between 2007 and 2019, Asproflor was a member of Entente Florale,  an initiative of the Association Européenne pour le Fleurissement et le Paysage (AEFP) – the European Association for Flowers and Landscape. The overall aim of this international, non-profit association today is the social and cultural development and enhancement of the quality of life of urban dwellers, primarily through landscape development and horticulture. To support its aims, the Association organises an international competition known as Entente Florale Europe in order to promote a greener and more pleasant environment in European towns and villages and to establish international contacts among the participants.

Italian successes in the Entente Florale competition includes a golden medal for Limone Piemonte (2007), Cervia (2008), Pre Saint Didier (2009), Grado (2011), Etroubles (2013), Merano (2015) and Molveno (2019).

Vying for the highest honour in Italy in 2021 were Ingria (TO) and Alba (CN).