Preserving Italy’s Famed Wildflower Bloom from Overtourism过度旅游伤环境，意大利野生花海须保护

Once a year， the single gravel road that leads to the tiny Italian village of Castelluccio di Norcia1 becomes a front-row seat to one of Europe’s most stunning nature shows.

一年一度，通往意大利小村庄卡斯特卢乔唯一的一条石子路会摇身变为最佳席位，此处可观赏欧洲最令人目眩神迷的大自然表演。

Between mid-May and early July， wildflowers paint the Piana Grande2 plains below in shades of gold， crimson， and blue， giving life to fioritura delle lenticchie （Italian for “lentil blossoming”）， or more commonly， la fiorita di Castelluccio.

从5月中旬至7月初，野花将下方的高地大平原渲染成各种色调的金色、红色和蓝色，由此诞生了fioritura delle lenticchie（意大利语，义为“扁豆花海”），更常见的名称是“卡斯特卢乔花海”。

In this verdant landscape of Umbria， a region dubbed Italy’s “green lung，” the summertime bloom is a point of pride for locals， a bright spot to look forward to each year. After 2016’s two catastrophic earthquakes and 2020’s coronavirus pandemic， la fiorita has taken on even more importance.

翁布里亚大区被称为意大利的“绿肺”，在这片葱郁的风景线上，每年夏天的野花绽放是当地人的骄傲，是值得年年期待的高光时刻。在经历了2016年的两次灾难性地震和2020年的新冠疫情之后，花海显得更加重要。

“At least the [second] quake’s brutality didn’t in any way alter the beauty of the landscape that surrounds us， thank God，” says Nicoletta Marziali， who lost her ancestral family home and business in the 6.6-magnitude temblor. “That would’ve meant a collective heartbreak.”

“感谢上帝，（第二次）地震虽然严重，但至少没有改变我们周围地区的漂亮风景。不然的话，我们就要集体心碎了。”尼科莱塔·马尔齐亚利说。她在那次6.6级的地震中失去了祖传的家宅和生意。

But now， as international travel restrictions begin to lift， locals like Marziali worry about a new threat—hordes of tourists trampling the delicate flowers for photos and social media posts， a problem that has plagued other wildflower hotspots， such as California， in recent years.

但是现在，随着国际旅游限制开始解除，以马尔齐亚利为代表的当地人开始担忧起新的威胁——成群结队的游客为了拍照和在社交媒体上发帖而践踏那些娇嫩的花朵。这个问题近年来也困扰着其他热门的野花观赏地，比如美国加利福尼亚。

Last year’s la fiorita offered a worrying sign of what may come. After Italy’s strictest lockdown lifted in early May， 20，000 outdoor-starved visitors flocked to Castellucio during a peak weekend in late June. A handful were spotted stepping in the fields and plucking the flowers.

去年的花海显露出令人忧心的苗头，可以预见到未来的情形。意大利于5月初解除了最严格的封锁之后，6月底的一个周末高峰期就有两万渴望户外活动的游客涌至卡斯特卢乔。有几个游客被发现踏入田地、采摘花朵。

“[Visiting] was nearly impossible because of the traffic and the overcrowded trails，” says Claudia Cenci， a Perugia resident who hikes in Castellucio often. “In a few years [enjoying this area] might become unsustainable.”

“因为交通堵塞严重、小径过于拥挤，（观光）几乎难以实现。再过几年，（欣赏这片地区的风景）或许会变得难以为继。”克劳迪娅·琴奇说。她住在佩鲁贾，经常在卡斯特卢乔徒步旅行。

Leave it to nature

让大自然做主

Bordered on one side by the Sibillini Mountains and sheltered in the Monti Sibillini National Park， the Piana Grande is a karstic （limestone） basin cradling lentil farms， Castellucio’s primary source of revenue.

高地大平原是一个岩溶（石灰岩）盆地，一侧与锡比利尼山脉接壤，托庇于锡比利尼山脉国家公园。大平原是扁豆农场的摇篮，这些扁豆是卡斯特卢乔最主要的收入来源。

Prized for their delicate， nutty flavor， the tiny， brownish-green lentils are not treated with pesticides here because they’re farmed at a high altitude. The below-zero winter temperatures naturally kill predators， such as the legume-munching weevil.

这些小小的、棕绿色的扁豆因具有细腻的坚果风味而倍受欢迎。因为种植的海拔高，它们得以避免喷洒杀虫剂。冬天低于零度的气温天然就能杀灭害虫，比如以豆类为食的象鼻虫。

The absence of chemicals plays a key role in la fiorita; it allows nature to take its course. Lentil plants send out tiny white blossoms that mingle with mustard flowers， poppies， legousia （Venus looking-glass3）， and cornflowers throughout the growing season.

不使用化学药剂——这一点在花海的形成中起到了关键作用：它允许大自然自主发展。整个生长季节，扁豆植株绽放的小小白色花朵间夹杂着芥末花、罂粟花、风铃草（又称“维纳斯镜花”）和矢车菊。

“I like to believe it’s because we pledged to cultivate [the lentils] with the least environmental impact that nature rewards us every year with one of its most beautiful shows，” says Nello Perla， founder of the 40-year agricultural cooperative of 13 farms that use only organic farming methods in the valley.

“我愿意相信，正是因为我们致力于用最不影响环境的方式来培育（扁豆），大自然才每年回馈给我们一场最美的表演。”当地农业合作社的创建人内洛·佩拉说。该合作社已有40年历史，由13家农场组成，坚持在这片山谷只使用有机耕作方式。

Because the farmers plant their crops at different locations and on different dates， the flowers sprout at different times. That’s the secret to the alternating pattern that has made this landscape famous worldwide， says Perla.

农民栽种作物的地点不同、时间不同，所以花朵出芽的时间也不同。佩拉说，此地风景因轮流交替的花期闻名世界，秘密就在于此。

Each wildflower’s appearance indicates a ripening phase in the lentils’ life cycle， alerting farmers to the best time to harvest， explains Nunzio Testa， secretary of Pro Loco Castelluccio4， a tourism organization founded in 1982. “This is Castelluccio’s unique way of communicating with nature，” he says， with a laugh. “We just look out of the window and the colors tell us what to do.”

农西奥·泰斯塔解释道，每种野花的出现都表明扁豆生长周期的一个成熟阶段，并提醒农民什么时候采摘最为合适。他是成立于1982年的一家旅游组织“卡斯特卢乔发展促进会”的秘书长。“这是卡斯特卢乔与大自然交流的独特方式。”他笑着说，“我们只要向窗外看一看，花朵的颜色就会告诉我们该做什么。”

A hiker’s paradise

徒步旅行者的天堂

While the area is an important agricultural zone， it’s also an outdoor lover’s dream. Hiking trails overlook the valleys and mountains， stretching as far as the eye can see. In recent years， Castelluccio has become a sought-after weekend escape from the bustle of urban life for many Italians.