Flowering in Castelluccio di Norcia

Traveling between June and July through the Pian Grande of Castelluccio di Norcia, it is not surprising if the fields are tinged with different colors. This is, in fact, the most important period for this area, where poppies, daisies, cornflower, and other colorful flowers surround the town, a few kilometers away from Norcia, pearl in the heart of the most authentic Umbria.

Arriving in the pass from the provincial road 477, the beauty is perceived immediately with an expanse of colors able to enchant to the first look and warm the heart of any traveler. The flowering here represents a historical and cultural event much loved by tourists; a tradition maintained overtime to pay homage to nature and its wonders.

A show of colors that, as we have anticipated, can be admired in the first outskirts of the historic town of Norcia, in Castelluccio, a place known for the cultivation of the IGP lentil, and in the area of Pian Grande, an area surrounded by mountains that make this place even more magical and special. Although not very high, the peaks enclose these colored flowers as if they were gathered in a big basin located in the shadow of mount Vettore, in the heart of the National Park of Sibillini Mountains, almost assuming the shape of a painting.

It is said that this magical event is connected to the cultivation and flowering of the lentil; in reality, this is only partially true. We must certainly thank the local farmers who, to preserve the fields and not use pesticides (therefore maintaining organic cultivation) during the times when lentils were cultivated, have always let other plants flourish in the land, gaining many benefits. In this way, while waiting for the lentils to grow, weeds have taken over, recreating a natural floral show with plant species of different colors. Here then, according to the period, we can admire poppies, then a raw variety of white chamomile, Leucanthemum, wild mustard, Venus’s mirror, and cornflower. All with tones that turn from white to purple from blue to red.

A real feast of nature that makes this fairy-tale place a destination for responsible tourism in the heart of Umbria. This year, a show is even more beautiful because the combination of climate, between rains and sun not extremely hot, has allowed the flowers to grow undisturbed. Obviously, as always, it is necessary to pay the right attention without stepping on the flowers and admire – without damage – this explosion of nature and colors.