The siege of cars on the flowering fields of the Piani di Castelluccio @ Legambiente Umbria
At Piani di Castelluccio during flowering. Photo Emanuele Valeri, Neve-Appennino
The spectacle of blooms on the plains of Castelluccio di Norcia. Photo Stefano Ardito
Poppies and tourists. Photo Stefano Ardito
Poppies, cornflowers, lentils, daisies, violets, daffodils, gentians they bloom at the same time and give life to an unparalleled natural palette. Breathtakingly beautiful, huge, colorful and above all easy to observe and photograph. Here’s the problem. Nobody wants to miss out on such a spectacle Plans of Castelluccio they are attacked.
This is one of the most sensational phenomena of naturalistic overtourism in our country. The possibility that the area – located within the Sibillini Mountains National Park – could remain suffocated by too much love is more than concrete. In recent years it has therefore become necessary to take measures to at least limit the traffic of private vehicles, which has reached over 18,000 per day on weekends.
The 2024 sustainable mobility plan
In recent days the Sibillini Park issued a first information note on the methods of access to the area for 2024. We publish it in full.
Like every year, the repetition of the spectacle of the flowering of the Castelluccio plains generates a notable flow of visitors who reach the area using private vehicles.
However, the need to safeguard the territorial context of Castelluccio from an excessive load of vehicles, capable of causing serious consequences to the delicate ecosystem balance, requires careful reflection on the methods of use, also taking into consideration the value of tourism, both for hamlet of Castelluccio and the three municipalities which are the entrance gates to the Piani (Arquata del Tronto, Castelsantangelo sul Nera and Norcia), but also for numerous other municipalities.
As successfully tested in recent years, this year too the Park Authority, in concert with the mayors and the authorities in charge of safety, is preparing the “sustainable mobility plan”. Any restrictions on vehicular traffic have not yet been defined, but the no parking on lawns and outside parking areas. During the period in which the greatest influx of visitors is expected, and especially on weekends, a restaurant will be made available shuttle bus service which will connect the areas surrounding the town of Castelluccio and the plans, thanks to specially organized rest areas.
Any limitations on vehicular traffic have not yet been defined by the competent authorities, but the ban on parking on lawns, on the edges of roads and outside of parking areas remains in place.. The Park Authority will promptly communicate as soon as the booking platforms for parking and the bus service, managed by local public transport companies, are available.
