Come with us to find out where the most beautiful lavender fields in Italy are. Let yourself be amazed by immense scented purple fields
Lavender is considered a magical plant with multiple uses and properties. Since ancient times, meanings of purity, virtue and serenity have been attributed to it. According to a famous popular tradition, for example, a sprig of lavender was inserted into the bride's trousseau to bring her happiness and prosperity in her new couple life.
The blooming period of these lovely flowers runs from the end of June to August and that's why that's the perfect time to admire them. In this article you will find the guide to the best bloomings of the lavender fields in Italy from Piedmont to Calabria, landscapes that seems suspended in time, a pleasure for your eyes and your nose.
Lavender fields in Italy
It will be surprising to know it, but in Italy you can admire immense well-ordered expanses of lavender fields, from north to south, in various regions. So yes, you are not in Provence: our country can also give you this magnificent view.
Modern phytotherapy recognizes various properties of this plant including sedative, antiseptic, anti-inflammatory properties. Some studies have also shown that this plant is able to inhibit allergies. It can be used both internally, to counteract insomnia, anxiety, nervousness, migraine and asthma, and externally against insect, wasps and bees bites.
There are countless species of lavender in Italy and some of these are spontaneous, such as those that grow in the Alps, in the Apennines and in Pollino National Park.
If you wish to get lost in a purple, mellow dream along long-running rows, follow us in reading and map out your itinerary to discover lavender fields in Italy.
Lavender fields in northern Italy
In Piedmont, lavender fields are found in various places:
- In the Langhe territories, in Sale San Giovanni, in the province of Cuneo, an area that has not surprisingly been called little Italian Provence. This small town owes its fortune to this plant, becoming an excellence in the officinal and herbal industry; the plantations can be visited.
- In Demonte, in the Stura Valley, where lavender has always grown wild and is an economic asset. Not to be missed in this area is a trip to the ancient Rocchia distillery, where you can witness the transformation of lavender into essential oil.
- In Monferrato in the province of Alessandria, where several farmsteads and agritourisms specialize in the organic cultivation of lavender.
Regarding Lombardy, lavender can be found:
- In Oltrepo Pavese, in the hills of Godiasco, specifically at Cascina Costanza, where in recent years fields of more than 5,000 plants have become popular.
Let's move on to Liguria:
- In the province of Imperia, at Colle di Nava, there is the annual flowering and harvesting festival. Also not to be missed is the Lavender Museum in Carpasio, in the Ligurian Alps Park, opening in 2023.
Let's move on to the Veneto region:
- In Polesine, in Porto Tolle we find the Ca' Mello lavender grove, where you can walk inside the field by giving a modest fee. Lavender cultivation in these parts started almost by accident, after the failure of cereal cultivation, and the producers here were pioneers.
Let's complete with the Friuli Venezia Giulia: - In Venzone, in the province of Udine, you can visit the Palazzo della Lavanda, a real institution for enthusiasts of this plant, whose interior is home to visitable workshops and lavender groves, as well as stores specialized in selling fragrant handcrafted cosmetics. Explore Piedmont and Turin ❯
Lavender fields in central Italy
Continuing our scouting of lavender fields in Italy, we arrive in the central area, first of all in Emilia-Romagna, where it is widespread, but here we will be limited to the fields that we think are most striking and Instagrammable:
- In the province of Ravenna, we find it in Casola Valsenio, inside the Herb Garden, opened in 1975. Here 480 officinal species are cultivated, including several varieties of lavender. Guided tours are available. The lavender road from the village runs all the way up the side of the valley.
- In Baiso, a suburb of Viano, Reggio Emilia, it is even possible to have a picnic in the lavender fields, to be intoxicated by their scent in a dreamy hillside landscape while enjoying local specialties with friends. June 24, St. John's Day, is also a celebration of this beautiful flower.
- Just a few steps from Piacenza, in the Tidone Valley and the Trebbia Valley, you can admire a unique sight: lavender growing alongside sunflowers and framing dreamy landscapes, among medieval villages and castles.
In Tuscany, lavender is at its best in several places:
- In the Pisan hills, on the road from Orciano Pisano to Santa Luce, lavender fields are among the most photographed on social media.Santa Luce is also home to the Lavender Days festival.
- At Civitella Marittima, in the heart of Maremma, the landscape is hued with the delicate lavender purple of fields and hills, transforming the countryside into a genuine painting.
Let's descend now to Umbria:
- You cannot miss the lavender festival held in Assisi, usually scheduled for July. Three acres of gardens with various species of lavender of different colors-white, pink, blue and of course purple-come to life against the magnificent backdrop of the town of Assisi. Here you can also taste lavender ice cream.
Let's move on to Latium:
- Don't miss the lavender fields of Tuscania, in the province of Viterbo, where a festival is held every year to celebrate the blossoming which marks the arrival of summer. Nearby, the lavender fields of San Giusto Abbey offer a wonderful spectacle-you'll feel like walking out of a dream.
Discover Assisi and the other treasures of Umbria❯Lavender fields in southern Italy
Southern Italy offers fewer choices regarding lavender fields, but we have some nevertheless enchanting places to point out.
Let's stop in Molise:
- In Larino, in the contrada Monte, is the large lavender field of Farfalla Farm, a family-run business set up to fulfill a dream. Here you can adopt one of the 15,000 plants and help promote crop diversification, with the advantage of witnessing the entire growing and subsequent processing process.
Let's move on to Basilicata, a region that is equally small but full of wonders:
- In Lavello, in the province of Potenza, you can see a splendid, though not spontaneous, flowering since 2020, thanks to the priceless work of entrepreneur Savino Francesco Buldo, who has prepared a makeover of the family farm and to devote himself to the cultivation of this extraordinary plant.
And finally, although it may seem strange , we complete the tour in the far south, in Calabria:
- Lavender plants grow wild in the Pollino National Park, and their harvesting and processing has been an important income source for years. Following the reforestation of the area in the 1960s. wild lavender was in danger of disappearing because of the necessary sun exposure it requires, and this is how the Lavender Park of Campotenese, a district of Morano Calabro, in the province of Cosenza, was created, dedicated exclusively to lavender and all its processing.
Surprise yourself with the beauties of Calabria❯Campi di lavanda in Italia: una meraviglia di cui prenderci cura
We have arrived at the bottom of the Boot accompanied by the scent of lavender, a plant that is not exactly typical of our territories, which we know very little about, but which nevertheless represents one of our natural treasures.
This splendor, like all the species we are lucky enough to admire, is fragile, requires a great deal of care and attention, and so we would like to recommend the utmost caution when walking through lavender fields: be careful not to step on it or lie down among its flowers, although we understand that the temptation to fall asleep caressed by its scent is very strong. Let your eyes enjoy it but be careful!
