Norcia is a destination far from the clichés, it must be discovered and experienced to be appreciated. Only in this way you can transform your trip into a unique, memorable experience. Here nature, mysticism, gastronomy, sport, art and silence blend in harmony.
Castelluccio di Norcia, in Umbria, in the heart of the Monti Sibillini National Park, is the country of colors and flowering, a place where fairy tales, legends, traditions and reality blend with nature and the typical products of the area in a unique and unrepeatable way. Starting from Norcia, do not miss a visit to this wonderful place renowned throughout the world!
Every year mother nature renews the show of the flowering of the plain of Castelluccio di Norcia. Between the end of June and the first days of July, the plateau witnesses an event of particular importance, La Fioritura. For several weeks the chromatic monotony of the pasture is broken up by a mosaic of colors, with variations of tones ranging from yellow ocher to red, from violet to white. Walking along the paths we can meet: gentianellas, daffodils, violets, poppies, buttercups, daffodils, Eugeniae violets, clovers, shamrocks and many others. Farmers plant crops in different areas and times; for this reason the flowers do not bloom all together.
This is the secret of the alternation of blooms and colors that made this landscape famous worldwide. This important agricultural area is also at the same time a paradise for lovers of outdoor activities: the hiking trails offer splendid views of the valleys and mountains that extend as far as the eye can see. In recent years Castelluccio has become a very popular destination appreciated by Italians for a weekend getaway from city life.
To safeguard the fragility of the naturalistic context they are studying various solutions to limit flows in this very limited period to allow a sustainable use of the area in respect of the work of the farmers.
A few kilometers from Castelluccio, also discover the Pantani di Accumuli, a place where nature reigns supreme and admire the herds of cows and horses in the wild!
The "Marcite" of Norcia represents a unique area in the whole central-southern Apennines for its exceptional naturalistic and environmental characteristics but also historical and cultural.
The water meadows, perennially irrigated meadows closely connected to underground hydrogeological phenomena, date back to the 5th century AD, thanks to the work of the Benedictine monks and their systems for the construction of the network of locks and canals, allowing the flooding of the surrounding meadows.
The peculiarity of this area, where the temperature of the outcropping waters remains around 11 degrees, is the luxuriant nature all year round, which guarantees fresh hay all year round.
Norcia is the birthplace of St. Benedict, patron saint of Europe and patriarch of western monasticism. His rule, which sums up the Eastern monastic tradition by adapting it with wisdom and discretion to the Latin world, opened a new path for European civilization after the decline of the Roman one.
In the footsteps of St. Benedict, centers of prayer, culture, human promotion, hospitality for the poor and pilgrims arose on the European continent and on the islands. The monasteries and the remediation activities undertaken by the monks during the medieval period saved Europe from hunger and plagues.
Two centuries after the death of the Saint, whose statue majestically stands in the square of Norcia, there will be more than a thousand monasteries guided by the Benedictine Rule. On 24 October 1964 Pope Paul VI proclaimed him patron of Europe.
