The right season is coming for picking the best blueberries in Italy: let’s try to understand where to collect them in the areas of our country most suitable for this activity so appreciated by young and old.
From the end of May, but especially in June and July, blueberry picking lovers take out the baskets to fill with the succulent blue/purple berries, characterized by extraordinary antioxidant properties and ideal for preparing excellent juices.
Compared to cherries and strawberries, bilberries are definitely easier to find and harvest, as they are often they grow wild in valleys or woods excluded from private farms.
In any case, for scruple, it is always better to contact the local tourist offices and ask for information. Blueberries, the most widespread in Italy, are found from June-July to September; the perfect places to collect them are the northern slopes of the oi hills mountain forests up to 2000 metersespecially in Valtellina in some areas of the Apennines.
Where to pick the best blueberries in Italy
From the end of May to August, in Italy it is very easy to find blueberries in the woods: they grow spontaneously and can often be picked without problems (but there are some daily limits of quantity). Here we give you some advice to understand where to pick the best blueberries in Italy.
Blueberries from Lombardy
Blueberries from Abruzzo
Blueberries from the Pistoia Apennines
The Piedmont blueberry
Blueberries from Trentino-Alto Adige
Read also
1. Blueberries from Lombardy
Did you know that Lombardy is the Italian region where the most blueberries are found?
Also for this reason there is a specific regulation:
1. The collection of Vaccinium myrtillus species (Blackberry European) from the Vaccinium vine idaea (cranberry)
2. Prohibited gather more than 1 kilogram of blueberries per day (4 kilograms if the collection is carried out by several collectors jointly)
3. Owners of land where blueberries grow may apply for authorization to prohibit collection.
From June to August, the most suitable woods for blueberry picking are undoubtedly those of the upper Valtellina: from Sondalo to Livigno, passing through Grosio and Bormio. During a trek in these areas you don’t even have to make an effort to look for them: they will come under sight very easily.
>> READ ALSO: Valtellina, the 5 best mountain bike itineraries in Sondrio and in Valmalenco
2. Blueberries from Abruzzo
Abruzzo is another perfect region for picking blueberries. On the Monti della Laga the blueberry is well distributed in almost all woods, especially in beech woods. You will find them easily along the walks to reach the peaks of Monte Pizzitello and Pizzo di Sevo.
Blueberries can be harvested also on the Gran Sassoespecially near slopes with a northern exposure.
>> READ ALSO: In the Abruzzo National Park, where to see the animals
3. Blueberries from the Pistoia Apennines
Above Cutigliano and along the path that leads to Lake Scaffaiolo you will admire real ones expanses of blueberry plants reaching diameters of 6-10 mm. The blueberries of the Pistoia mountains are known for being pleasantly sweet, refreshing and aromatic: they are in demand throughout Italy.
In Cutigliano, in the province of Pistoia, a long-awaited festival is organized every summer dedicated to black berries, which represent an important component of the economy of this area: the 12 companies that manage the production manage to collect around 200 quintals per year.
4. The Piedmont blueberry
One of the emerging regions for blueberry harvesting is Piedmont: the surfaces covered with blueberry plants grew enormously from 2006 to 2019, going from 116 hectares to 557 hectares.
The best area to collect them is the province of Cuneoespecially in the area that climbs from Saluzzo towards the Po Valley, passing through Envie and Revellom, and in the southern strip between the municipalities of Mondovì and Borgo San Belmazzo.
Piedmontese blueberries are also found in large quantities in the woods of Piedmont province of Turin and the province of Novara.
5. Blueberries from Trentino-Alto Adige
If you are in Valsuganain the Cembra Valley, in the Giudicarie Valleys and in thehigh gardafrom June the paths in the woods are filled with blueberries of excellent quality.
In Vat Aurinamoreover, you can find them up to 1700/1800 meters, even at the end of August (when you start to see cranberries).
In Trentino, however, there are several rules limiting blueberry pickingso before you get to work it is better contact farms of the place or look for some agritourism that, under the guidance of the producers, accompanies the customers in the fields dedicated to the harvest.
[Photo by: Couleur / Pixabay]
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