To celebrate these paintings of nature and take advantage of the arrival of the beautiful season, Easter and spring long weekends, we suggest destinations where admire the most beautiful blooms in Italy. To fully appreciate the area, each destination is accompanied by a complete itinerary of the area. A series of trips with a high level of emotion, to immerse yourself in endless colorful mosaics that offer moments of peace and serenity. Slow experiences and strictly en plein air as only camper trips can do.
Vignola (MO) – Emilia-Romagna
With its delicacy and fragility, the cherry blossom is seen as a metaphor for life, fleeting but at the same time precious and beautiful. They immediately bring to mind Japan andhanami, a festival that celebrates the ritual of observing the cherry trees in bloom. Beautiful and with an indescribable charm, they are flowers used purely for ornamental purpose and their flowering varies according to the climate although they generally bloom between April and May.
Without going to Japanese soil, you can experience the flowering by heading to Vignola, an Emilian center famous for its cherry trees, which before bearing their fruits give off their extraordinary flowers, which color the panorama white and pink.
From 1st to 10th April it is organised Cherry Blossom Festival dedicated to the spectacular flowering of these plants along the Panaro valley. The event includes various activities that follow the common thread of flowering, ranging from markets to the parade of flower floats.
Camper stop: Vignola
Recommended itinerary: In a camper in Modena, land of engines and Dop
Castelluccio di Norcia (PG) – Umbria
The flowering a Castelluccio of Norcia it is a very well-known and spectacular event that takes place every year in the Castelluccio plain, located in Sibillini Mountains National Park in Umbria, Italy. The polychrome expanse of Castelluccio is characterized by the blooming of various species of wild flowers, including the famous one “Casteluccio lentil” and the “cornflower”. Flowering usually takes place between late May and mid-July, but exact dates may vary slightly depending on weather conditions.
During flowering, the plain transforms into a true mosaic of colours. In addition to the celestial white shades there are an infinite number of other species that create a always different chromatic concert, thanks to non-synchronous blooms which create temporal alternations of colours: purple orchids, yellow tulips, ocher wild mustard, red poppies and blue cornflowers. The contrast between the colors of the flowers and the green of the surrounding fields creates a breathtaking landscape that attracts thousands of tourists and photographers every year.
To visit Castelluccio di Norcia during flowering, we recommend check the weather forecast and plan your trip in advance, as the area can be very crowded during this time of year.
Camper stop: Norcia
Recommended itinerary: Umbria by camper: 8-day trip from Feltre to Lake Fiastra
Campo Imperatore (AQ) – Abruzzo
One of the most suggestive spring destinations is that of the Abruzzo promontory, when the melting snow allows a purple flower, slender but decisive, to bloom, painting the landscape with unforgettable shades: it is the crocus, and from late April to mid-May literally transforms the Campo Imperatore plateau.
To admire it, start from Castel del Monte along the only road that leads to the large plateau in spring Camp Emperor (usually the others are still under the snow). Among blooms of violets and crocuses we reach Vetica source, often with walls of snow still on the roadside until May. At one thousand six hundred meters above sea level and in complete isolation, with the exception of the kiosks selling kebabs, up here Abruzzo truly appears to be a land out of time.
Camper stop: L'Aquila
Recommended itinerary: Abruzzo in a camper, on the Romanesque streets
Elba Island (LI) – Tuscany
Thanks to its extreme variety of landscapes, Elba has a very rich floristic heritage of over a thousand species, many of which reveal themselves in all their splendor in spring, transforming different parts of the island into a triumph of flowers, colors and scents. This is the case, for example, of broom, the golden flower so dear to Leopardi which adapts to any type of terrain, as a true pioneer plant, even when climbing in altitude.
A starting from May it will be possible to enjoy a unique setting: brooms as far as the eye can see covering the roads and paths of the Elban hills in gold, framing the crystalline sea of a thousand shades. Among the spring destinations on the Island of Elba, numerous are unmissable trekking, such as path 103 on Mountain huts, the highest peak on the island: a truly enchanted (and fragrant) garden of Mediterranean scrub and flowers overlooking the sea, with the villages of knoll e Marciana nestled in its slopes among oak and chestnut woods.
Ferries affiliated with the PleinAirClub
Recommended itinerary: Elba Island in a camper? You can, saving money
Sale San Giovanni (CN) – Piedmont
Enveloping scents and vibrant colors are the protagonists of the lavender blooming in Sale San Giovanni, a small village in the Cuneo area: a suspended and timeless atmosphere that smells of Provence, without crossing national borders. The beauty of the lavender fields and the intense scent that is released in the spring season make the landscape one of the most evocative and romantic destinations in Piedmont.
Also used in the gastronomic, cosmetic and therapeutic fields for the production of essential oils and cosmetics, this versatile and extremely fragrant plant is appreciated all over the world and offers an unparalleled spectacle that comes to life at the end of spring, between June and July, when the fields are tinged with a beautiful intense purple color. During this period, the municipality organizes numerous initiatives to promote the territory and the cultivation of lavender. Among these, there are guided tours of the fields, displays of lavender-based products and tastings of typical local cuisine.
The majestic beauty of the purple fields with their fresh and inebriating fragrance is the ideal setting for a relaxing walk in an oasis of peace. The ideal time of day to live this immersive experience it's about sunset, to totally abandon yourself to your senses and emotions while admiring the thousand shades of this flower, from lilac to blue, which change depending on the reflections of light.
Camper stop: Cuneo
Recommended itinerary: Camper trip for women in Valle Gesso
Text by Fabrizio Roscini
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