The Pian Grande painted by lentils
In the heart of the Monti Sibillini National Park, on the border between Umbria and the Marche, at about 1,450 metres, the tiny village of Castelluccio di Norcia stands on a hill overlooking an immense, flat plateau surrounded by mountains: the Pian Grande, a basin of ancient lake origin, about 16 square kilometres in size, with the Piano Piccolo and the Piano Perduto next to it. For most of the year it is a landscape of austere beauty, green in spring, golden in summer and white in winter, crossed by herds of sheep and horses; but for a few weeks, between the end of June and the beginning of July, it is transformed into one of the most extraordinary natural spectacles in Italy: the Fioritura, the flowering.
The plateau is cultivated mainly with the lentil of Castelluccio, a small, tasty and prized variety, protected by the PGI designation, and when the lentils bloom, together with the wild flowers that grow among the crops, poppies, cornflowers, wild mustard, chamomile, vetches and many others, the fields are coloured with patches of red, blue, yellow, white and purple, which seem like a giant painting or a patchwork quilt, with the bare peaks of the Sibillini in the background. Thousands of photographers and visitors come every year to admire it. Castelluccio was severely damaged by the 2016 earthquake, and the reconstruction of the village is ongoing; in the meantime, a temporary structure houses restaurants and shops selling lentils and local products. The plateau is also a paradise for paragliding and hang gliding.
Tip: check the state of the flowering, which varies from year to year; go early in the morning to avoid crowds and enjoy the soft light.
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