Ok, first things first - we’ll address the elephant in the room. This portion of the Trek & Taste blog is focused on Le Marche. Castelluccio di Norcia is technically in Umbria. However, it’s so close to the border of Le Marche (one of the valley’s surrounding hills is literally part of the region) that we think we can get away with including it on this blog. Read on to discover incredible colour displays, rolling hills and local delicacies, and you’ll see why we’ve made the exception!

If you’d like to support the site, you can buy us our next café coretto at the link below. Cheers!

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Where is Castelluccio di Norcia?

You’ll find Castelluccio di Norcia right in the centre of the stunning Monti Sibillini National Park, at the base of Monte Vettore. It’s just across the border of Le Marche, in the region of Umbria. To get there from inside Le Marche, you’ll travel through incredible mountain views, past hiking trails, through valleys and over hills. When you arrive, a huge plain will open up before you and, at the right time of year, you’ll be met with a near-unbelievable sight.

The plains of Castelluccio di Norcia — A view of the lentil fields in Castelluccio di Norcia

Photos do not do it justice. Castelluccio is the land of the lentil farmers and the valley of Castelluccio provides the ideal climate. It’s flat and dry, for the most part. When it comes time for the flowering, that’s when the magic happens! The entire valley is covered in flowers of different colours - blue, purple, white, red and yellow. Each flower corresponds to a different type of lentil which, as it happens, are delicious, as well as stunning to behold.

The best time to visit Castelluccio di Norcia

What you see in the pictures is actually the end of season (we will definitely be making the trip earlier in the year next time around). The best time to visit Castelluccio is from the end of May to the middle of July. This is when the flowering happens and the colours are at their most vibrant. Be advised, however, that around the middle of June is when the area is at its busiest, and it will be very tricky to drive directly into the town of Castelluccio. The best thing to do is approach from the East and park along the road that leads to the town. While it will involve a walk, you’ll be able to approach the flowers from a different and, hopefully, less busy angle.

When is Castelluccio di Norcia in flower?

The flowering season in Castelluccio di Norcia stretches from the end of May to the beginning of July, but the best time to visit is around the middle of June. If you are planning to make the trip up there, it’s a good idea to check the status of the flowering as it happens. Here you can find a local live stream, featuring a roundup of the area as it appears right now!

What to eat in Castelluccio di Norcia

The town of Castelluccio di Norcia is small, with only a few restaurants in the centre. The food you’ll find there is typical of the region, locally grown and absolutely delicious. We, however, would recommend you find the sky-blue food truck off to the side.

Panini alla Scarafischio — Panini allo Scarafischio

Here you can get a local classic - the Panino allo Scarafischio, which includes flattened pork sausage, local cheese and stewed green vegetables. It was the perfect stomach-filler after a long walk among the flowers and you can taste the freshness of the ingredients. So simple, and yet so delicious.

What’s the best way to see Castelluccio di Norcia?

On horse-back! If you’re interested, you can take a trip across the plains on a horse from Sibillini Ranch. They have trips available for beginners and expert riders, running for about an hour to an hour and a half. Their website is currently undergoing a revamp but, if you are interested in a ride across beautiful flower-strewn plains, surrounded by mountains under the Italian sun, their contact details are available below.

Emiliano: 338 9970734

Damiano: 339 3826195

Email: emiliano988@alice.it

Our journey in - from Le Marche to Castelluccio di Norcia

While making our way in from Le Marche, we couldn’t help but stop along the way and admire the incredible surroundings with which we were met. The Monti Sibillini National Park encompasses a collection of mountains and hills, centred around the eponymous Monte itself. The entire area is covered with greenery - tall trees and grassland stretch up and down, as far as the eye can see. Everywhere you go, there is cause to take a break, get out of the car and go for a wander.

Fattoria di Opagna Food Truck — The Fattoria di Opagna food truck

A variety of locally-produced flavoured cheeses

If you’re in the mood to sample some of the local delicacies of the Norcia area, be sure to stop off at the food truck of Fattoria di Opagna, near the town of Arquata del Tronto. They sell locally-produced meats and cheeses, infused with onion, chilli, truffle and many more different locally-grown herbs and vegetables. They also sell fresh truffles! A real favourite of ours from this place was the “spiedo alla formaggio” - a skewer featuring a sampling selection of the cheeses and salami you can buy there. An antipasti platter on a stick!

Be advised: Castelluccio di Norcia is earthquake country

Castelluccio di Norcia is a place of stunning beauty but, not far away, there is tragedy also. On our trip into the region, we passed through the towns of Trisungo and Pretare. Late in 2016, central Italy was struck by a number of earthquakes with magnitudes of 6.0 or more. Towns such as the ones mentioned above were left in complete desolation, with the entire population rehomed in temporary accommodation nearby. The original towns themselves are almost abandoned and, while surrounded by the incredible natural beauty of the mountains, it can be hard to appreciate it in the moment, in stark contrast with the devastation below them.

The desolated town of Arquata del Tronto

A word of advice while visiting Castelluccio and the surrounding areas

Take cash! In Italy, as you might imagine, there is a wealth of cafes, shops and souvenir spots to visit when you’re in the area. What we discovered in many of these places, however, is that they don’t take card payments. In many others, the card machine that they do have will mysteriously be broken or non-functional that day. Be sure to check whether they do in fact accept card before you make a purchase, to avoid any awkward encounters like we had (we ordered coffees and then, with no cash, were told that the card machine wasn’t working, and there was no cash machine anywhere in the area. We drank up quickly and paid in apologies.) As a back-up, always bring cash!

Come and see Castelluccio di Norcia!

Castelluccio is stunning any time of year so, whenever you choose to go, you can be sure you’ll be met with the outstanding natural beauty of central Italy, wonderful food and history to get lost in. If you’re planning a trip to Le Marche, it’s worth going just a little out of your way to experience the flowering. Looking for other places to stop off on as you make your way around the region? Take a look here at some of our favourite historical spots that are well worth a visit.

Also, if you’d like to help fund the site, you can buy us our next cappuccino here. Cheers!