The July following our arrival in Italy some friends took me up to what seemed like the top of the world to see the lentil fields flowering in Casteluccio in Umbria. We were a little early so although I enjoyed the day there wasn’t all that much to see.
I have been promising myself and my husband that we would go up one weekend when we were sure the fields would be colourful.
So nine years later we got there! I had never seen what a lentil flower looked like, but I’d been told and the website implied that the lentils flowers were many different colours making the huge fields in the Alpine meadow-like bowl high up in the Apennines a sight worth the three hour drive. We actually decided to go for the weekend with some good friends and stayed overnight in the delightful, ancient town of Norcia, famous for all cured meats from the pig and Wild Boar plus truffles.
The road verges on the way up were full of wild flowers including at lower levels huge amounts Cotinus seemingly growing as ground cover. Higher, the number of wild flowers on the verges was (I really don’t know what adjective to use) AMAZING, ASTOUNDING, FANTASTIC, INCREDIBLE, ASTONOSHING, MIRACULOUS! All of these and more cannot describe how wonderful the sight was; and remember we hadn’t reached the lentil fields yet and it was those that are famous.
Onobrychis viciifolia on road verge
From a distance away we could see ordered rectangular fields in blue, yellow, red and pink – so that was the lentil flowers! But NO, here’s the twist – the local farmers or possibly the town (village) council actually add different wild flowers to the lentil seed, meaning that the fields are different combinations of colours every year. The main flowers used are red poppies (Papaver rhoeas), blue cornflowers (Centaurea cyanus) and yellow mustard;
Patchwork quilt of colour
In the background you can just see the town of Casteluccio
and the colour of the lentil flowers themselves just an insipid off white, not large, not beautiful just delicious!
Lentil flower
Sedum acre and thyme on the road verge
This is a working farming environment so I’m not sure what this shepherd thought of all the people who came to photograph the flowers.
There were so many wonderful images I’ll post some more later. If you are in central Italy with a car during late June to the end of July I recommend you visit this beautiful place, I don’t think you’d be disappointed.
By the road I saw these grasses, aren’t they just stunning.
grasses blowing in the wind
Creating my own garden of the Hesperides 
Didn’t know what Lentil flowers looked like, but they seem rather pretty. The fields with wildflowers are awesomely beautiful.
An American word that in this instance is perfect! yes awesome.
How amazing! I just made lentil soup the other night…and I called them beans to my kids…then I was like, duh…are they beans? Peas? Oh no! felt like a dork!
They’re all from the same family so you weren’t really wrong.
I’m getting the sense you like it. Seriously, I think I would give anything to see it myself.
It is something very special, it’s hard to describe how beautiful it is.
Thanks for this.
Very beautiful, well worth visiting.
What amazing pictures Christina, I have never known what a lentil flower looks like, thank you! Do you know why they sow other flowers in with their crop, do they do it as a tourist attraction, I would have thought it would make picking the lentils more difficult or are they harvested by machine?
I’m sure it is to attract tourists, there is very little else in the area. I imagine they are harvested by machine. I think it may have begun when they decided to be organic, obviously lots of wild flowers would have appeared and then when they saw how it looked decided to actually add the wild flowers to the seed mix.
I agree that the lentils are definitely Worth a Visit – even when the flowers are not quite in bloom. Perhaps they could install a web cam so we can check on flowering and go at the right moment? Or would that just spoil the thrill of suspense? The locals deny that they sow the wild flower seeds but I think they are pulling our legs …. wouldn’t be possible without some intervention?
They must sow the wild flowers otherwise they wouldn’t be in such straight lines! Butstill definately worth the visit.
Wow, that is definitely something to see! How wonderful – thanks for sharing your photos! 🙂
my pleasure, I’m thinking I should post a slide show.
Yes, that would be a fabulous idea! I know we’d all love to see it!
OK, I’ll do it at the end of the week.
I use a lot of lentils but never really though about what the flowers looked like and I would never have guessed they were grown in such a beautiful place. Wild flower heaven.
Casteluccio is famous for the quality of its organic lentils, I often buy them.
i never thought that the field of Castelluccio can be so Amazing…thanks to show us!
Awesome is right! What a fantastic sight! Lucky you who got to experience it! 🙂
On my! Christina, this is fabulous. What an incredible place. Thank you so much for pointing me in this direction.
Glad you enjoyed it Julie.