Castelluccio di Norcia is an amazing little Umbrian town. Castelluccio is an emotion, a magic place where a person and nature blend themselves and find their harmony.
The frame in which the town is nestled speaks for itself: Castelluccio di Norcia is located in the heart of Valnerina, inside the Sibillini National Park. It is situated at an altitude of 1452 meters and at a distance of 28 kilometers from Norcia , on the top of an hill in the middle of a large plateau.
The view includes three plains, because the plateau is divided into three sections: Pian Grande, Pian Piccolo and Pian Perduto, for a total of 15 km² surrounded by Sibillini Mounts and dominated by the imponent Vettore Mount with its 2476 meters of height.
Every year, during many weeks between May and July, an incredible mosaic of colours breaks the chromatic monotony of the grazing lands and it is able to fill eyes and heart.
Castelluccio and its plains offer a magnificent landscape every moment of the year, but a visit in this uncontaminated place is a must during the flowering!
Between the end of May and the beginning of July of each year, in fact, the plains change face and become a triumph of multicolored shades, thanks to the spectacle of nature (the case was never more appropriate for such an idiomatic expression) called „Fiorita“ or „Fioritura“ (the Flowering) of Castelluccio di Norcia.
Thousands of flowers bloom the plateau, bursting with colors, with shades ranging from yellow ocher to red, from violet to white. You can admire lentils (cultivated in Castelluccio, they are one of the most typical local products), gentianella, poppies, narcissuses, violets, asphodels, Eugeniae violet, clovers, oxalis and many more.
And if flora is so wonderful, fauna is not far behind: while you are walking in this „natural mosaic“, maybe you will watch some gazelles or roe deers…
Despite the Feast of the Fiorita takes place every year the third and the last Sunday of June, there is not a best or worst time to admire the flowering. Development and tendencies of flowering are entrusted in many elements: how much it rained during Winter and Spring; the period of exposure of the sun; the planting time, especially of the lentil. Not to mention that each species of flora has a different blossom period.
Unfortunately Castellucio will never be the same because of the awful earthquake from last year.
If you want to visit that magical place find your accommodation in Umbria on our site.
