THE MAGIC CARPET OF FLOWERS – CASTELLUCCIO DI NORCIA, IN ITALY
Good Morning Readers:
I discovered this most beautiful and enchanting
splash of nature’s colour and beauty. This is all about lentils and poetry!
Each spring from May through July there is a
colourful blooming of wild flowers and lentil flowers on the plains of
Castelluccio di Norcia, in Italy. The spectacle is called
Fioritura; when seen from a plane, it looks like a colourful tapestry.
The village of Castelluccio, was largely destroyed
by the 2016 earthquake that struck central Italy. It is mostly
uninhabited. The farmers who farm the lentil fields have moved to nearby
villages.
The plateau is 1,500 metres above sea level.
3,000 hectares of white lentil flowers grow on this plateau, amongst red
poppies, blue cornflowers, yellow daisies and wild mustard, tulips and orchids.
These flowers bloom at different times during the spring. For a few
weeks, it looks like an impressionist’s painting.
The plateau, is the bottom of an ancient Apennine
lake, now dried up. The lentil flowers which are white, bloom among the
other wild flowers that love the altitude and climate. Red poppies and
blueberries; the yellow tulip, whose petals are more pointy and open than those
of regular tulips, bloom mainly in mountain meadows and pastures; these are
included in the list of Umbria’s endangered species. The blue Cornflowers bloom
last, as they need more light. Cornflowers, were near to extinction in
many places, because farmers considered them weeds and used pesticides to get
rid of them.
What a site to behold. It has become so
popular, mostly Italian visitors come every year, in their camper vans and
cars. They love it so much, that they forget not to go into the fields
and trample the flowers; but in their excitement for a better photo, they
wander a little too far into the wild flower fields. They want to feel
one, with nature.
What makes this great magical carpet of flowers so
extra special, is that no pesticides are used. There is one local guide
who takes visitors to see this vast carpet of flowers, on donkeys.
The lentils grow 8 to 16 inches high, and are
harvested at the end of July or early August. The Castelluccio lentils
are of very high quality.
This magical carpet of flowers tells a story, and
no doubt many poems have been written about it. Which brings me to
my book, The Mists of Time. My poetry includes stories
about nature, too. Poets always write poems about nature, because it is
so inspiring. Perhaps you may like to buy it online through Austin
Macauley Publishers.
https://www.austinmacauley.com/book/mists-time.
Enjoy your summer,
Anne
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