The end of June/early July brings out the wildflowers in the mountains around Norcia. We took a fantastic day trip from central Umbria to the Valnerina, Norcia, and Castelluccio. The locals told us that the flowers were having a bit of an “off” year due to an excess of rain but the Piano Grande didn’t disappoint. In addition to the wild flowers, there are cultivated fields of lentils that hide from the sun in a symbiotic relationship with carpets of yellow flowers (the lentil itself has tiny white flowers). One of the other highlights of a trip to Castelluccio is the lunch at a local agriturismo. The pappardelle with wild boar sauce is a rustic food lovers dream. Hand cut, thick bands of fresh pasta drenched in a rich sauce filled with chunks of wild boar and seasoned with juniper and bay leaf. Heaven!
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| From Castelluccio – Wild Flowers |
For the full album of pictures click here.
