Every summer, the fields near Castelluccio di Norcia, Italy, light up with colors like Impressionist paintings. At that time, they are among the most beautiful places in Italy and attract many tourists from all over the world. In the Czech Republic, however, this blooming locality is still not very well known. The fields are at their most blooming in late June and early July and are worth stopping by for a while.
Castelluccio di Norcia is located in Umbria, central Italy, in the Monti Sibillini nature reserve. Relatively nearby – about a hundred kilometers by car – is the well-known city of Assisi, which became famous as the birthplace of St. Francis.
On the Piano Grande mountain plain around Castelluccio, farmers grow one of the best lentil varieties in the world – it has earned a great reputation among gourmets and top chefs. The colorful summer miracle is related precisely to the lentil fields and local agriculture. Lentil vines are overgrown with other plants that bloom in summer. These are often weeds left there by farmers on purpose – supposedly because the area receives relatively little rain, the soil is dry, and the weed’s roots help maintain a constant level of moisture.
The plants that live in symbiosis with the lentil flower at different times in the spring and summer, causing the colors of the plots to change over time. Other colors are then added by fields sown with other agricultural crops. The vines begin to bloom already in May, but the best view of them is at the beginning of the summer holidays.
According to the biologist Giordana Rossiho begins the flowering period with a yellow color that can be attributed to field mustard plants. Then the red of poppies, white tones of chamomile with daisies and the blue color of bellflower flowers are added to the meadows and fields. In June and early July, the palette expands with purple cornflower flowers. However, clovers, sorrels, daffodils, nettles and many other flowering plants also contribute to the color spectrum.
