A Picturesque Tour to Italy's Flower Fields & How to Get There
From spectacular cities to world-class museums, ancient ruins, great beaches, and beautiful landscapes, Italy is renowned for the many riches and gems it has in store for travelers from around the world. You can never run out of things that make Italy, which is perhaps why it's not-so-common name, Bel Paese comes from.
Point in case, Italy is also home to numerous amazing flower fields, most of which are beautifully painted with colorful blooms each year, especially in the spring and summer months.
If you’re a fan of flowers, this means that you’ll have lots of opportunities to take as many gorgeous pictures as possible during your trip to Italy.
But which are some of the most eye-catching flowers in Italy, where are they located, and how do you get there?
Read on for everything you need to know about exploring these hidden corners of Italy — from how to reach them to what you can expect during your visit!
The Lavender Roads – Piedmont
Main flower: Lavender
Whenever lavender fields are mentioned, most travelers and flower enthusiasts automatically think of Provence, France. What if someone told you there’s a “little Provence” in Italy? Yes, this is what the locals of Piedmont call Sale San Giovanni, which is by far the most iconic of the Lavender Roads in Italy.
The Lavender Roads are a natural limestone area in southern Italy where the purple-colored lavender plants have bloomed for centuries. Especially if you decide to take a private tour of Italy, there’s a big chance your guide will mention this, and even give you a moment to take as many photos as you need before getting back to your expedition.
The sites are also home to several historically significant locations as well as countless luxury villas and residences throughout the area.
Besides Sale San Giovanni, which has nearly 100 acres of lavender field sitting on it, other violet stretches of fragrant lavender can be seen in:
Chianti area, Tuscany
Porto Tolle, Veneto
Assisi, Umbria
Chiavari, Liguria
Parco Pollino, Calabria
If you want to experience the best of Italy’s lavender fields, consider traveling sometime between June and July. This is when the lavenders are usually in full bloom, shortly before they are harvested to make dried flower bouquets and produce the lavender oil commonly used in cosmetic and beauty products.
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Val d'Orcia, Tuscany – Siena Province
Main flower: Sunflower
Perhaps the most magnificent flower field in Italy, Val d'Orcia is a gigantic nature reserve located in Tuscany, a region that is not only filled with many pretty places for visitors to visit but also boasts several historical landmarks.
The 12th-century Castello di Brolio is one of the many iconic attractions here, not to mention a decent number of beautiful castles and churches.
And despite being a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Val d'Orcia is a truly spectacular landscape that becomes even more magical when painted yellow by the blooming sunflowers around June and August.
This stunning flower field is located in Tuscany’s Siena province, making it easy to access using personal or public transportation. But since trains may not reach all the towns in this region, it’s much more convenient to get to Val d’Orcia by car.
It might take between an hour and a half to two and a half hours, depending on whether you’re coming from Florence, Siena, or Vatican City.
Castelluccio di Norcia – Umbria
Main flower: Lentil
This large flowering area can be found in the Italian town of Norcia, which is famous for being a popular tourist destination. Located in Italy’s province of Perugia, Umbria, this beautiful flower field is home to thousands of multicolored plants and wildflowers, with lentils being conspicuously dominant between May and July.
The hilly landscape created by these fields is just spectacular, plus it provides magnetic views of Norcia and the surrounding countryside.
If you’re coming from Rome, it will take you just under three hours to Castelluccio di Norcia via the A1/E35. Using the same road from Tuscany will take a little under three and a half hours.
Viale Della Repubblica Garden
Main flower: Tulip
Often used as alternatives to roses, tulips are full of color and carry a range of different meanings. They’re easy to pick and even assemble into an incredibly captivating bouquet. So, if you love these blooms and you’re touring Italy, specifically in Milan or one of the cities nearby, then this beautiful tulip garden is a must-see.
Situated at Viale Della Repubblica 113, Cornaredo, the gorgeous garden is not only open to the public from 9 in the morning to 7 in the evening, but visitors are actually allowed to pick their own tulips as long as they leave the bulbs intact. The garden basically comes to life from around March to April, which is when tulips are usually in full bloom in this part of Italy.
Whether you just want to relax and bond with nature, collect flowers or take stunning photos for your travel album, this Italian tulip field can be a great pick. The best part is that it is just a 25 minutes walk from the city center, Milan.
Aymerich Park of Laconi – Sardinia
Main flower: Orchid
Also called Parco Aymerich, the Aymerich Park of Laconi is another one of Italy’s most stunning flower fields. Located in Sardinia, this Italian flower garden is among the best places to see live, overly captivating orchids in Italy, in full bloom, and in their different colors and shapes.
The 22-hectare facility was purposely created as a reserve and sanctuary for many different species of plants, most of which are thought to be rare or endangered. As you learn about these plants and enjoy the site of thousands of live orchids, you also get a chance to experience the Italian coast and the best that it provides.
And because it is located on an Island – Sardinia, it means that you will need to travel by sea or by air to visit Parco Aymerich despite the part of Italy you’re taking a trip to!
So there you have it, a list of some of Italy’s most stunning flower fields. If you’re fond of taking lots of pictures around floral backdrops, you will most likely not regret visiting any of the above-mentioned flower fields.
In reality, these fields are more than just pretty sights for tourists to look at — some of them are part of a rich history of plants and gardens in Italy. They are also pretty easy to access, mostly by car or by train depending on the part of Italy you're touring or where you’re coming from.
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