How locals are preserving Italy’s famed wildflower bloom

[FfFfFfFF 58,119]

Once a year, the single gravel road that leads to the tiny Italian village of Castelluccio di Norcia becomes a front-row seat to one of Europe’s most stunning nature shows.

Between mid-May and early July, wildflowers paint the Piana Grande plains below in shades of gold, crimson, and blue, giving life to fioritura delle lenticchie (Italian for “lentil blossoming”), or more commonly, la fiorita di Castelluccio.

In this verdant landscape of Umbria, a region dubbed Italy’s “green lung,” the summertime bloom is a point of pride for locals, a bright spot to look forward to each year. After 2016’s two catastrophic earthquakes and 2020’s coronavirus pandemic, la fiorita has taken on even more importance.

“At least the [second] quake’s brutality didn’t in any way alter the beauty of the landscape that surrounds us, thank God,” says Nicoletta Marziali, who lost her ancestral family home and business in the 6.6-magnitude temblor. “That would’ve meant a collective heartbreak.”

But now, as international travel restrictions begin to lift, locals like Marziali worry about a new threat—hordes of tourists trampling the delicate flowers for photos and social media posts, a problem that has plagued other wildflower hotspots, such as California, in recent years.

The absence of chemicals plays a key role in la fiorita; it allows nature to take its course. Lentil plants send out tiny white blossoms that mingle with mustard flowers, poppies, legousia (Venus looking-glass), and cornflowers throughout the growing season.

“I like to believe it’s because we pledged to cultivate [the lentils] with the least environmental impact, that nature rewards us every year with one of its most beautiful shows,” says Nello Perla, founder of the 40-year agricultural cooperative of 13 farms that use only organic farming methods in the valley.

But seeing more visitors discovering the area’s natural beauty has Castelluccio residents thinking of ways to stem the effects of mass tourism. California’s Lake Elsinore, where “poppy mania” has threatened the local ecosystem, is one source of inspiration. There, volunteers are limiting cars into the area and pedestrian access to the fields. To help reduce pollution, they’re providing shuttle service for a small fee.

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/will-crowds-ruin-italys-famed-la-fiorita-europes-most-spectacular-wildflower-bloom