Storia e curiosità

The Rifugio of the Alpini was built in 1973 and is owned the National Alpine Association. This is not an outpost but a managed ‘rifugio’, with a bar, restaurant and dormitories. It is situated at an altitude of 1560 meters and it can be accessed by car. Gino Quattrociocchi and Barbara Fiori, run the enterprise and are ready to welcome guests in any season. This rifugio is open all year, including all holidays.

I nostri piatti per il Menù della Sibilla

Lentil soup (available all year)
The highlight of agricultural production in this area are the lentils from Castelluccio, grown on the beautiful plains at an altitude of up to 1500 meters. Our table never lacks this famous legume with which we prepare in a hearty soup made with local sausages. This soup is a highlight of the rifugio and you can enjoy it at any time, perhaps as a reward after enjoying a strenuous hike on the Sibillini summits.

Cosa c'è nel piatto

The products used...  

Castelluccio lentils ("slow" lentils, as they called locally) represent a traditional production from this part of the Central Apennines. They are cultivated according to an old method, which does not require the use of chemicals. Once cut the lentils mature in place, in small sheaves on the ground where they remained for a few days before they are threshed. Still in a "slow" fashion they are carefully cleaned by hand ("cleaning finger") which prevents stones or other substances being included. The famous flowering Plains of Castelluccio is a phenomenon that annually emerges because no chemicals or pesticides are used in cultivation on the plain. The bright flowers are in fact common weeds that grow naturally in the lentil fields: poppies, cornflowers, daisy and wild mustard. The presence of these flowering plants guarantees the right level of humidity to makes the lentils soft and fragrant.

...And their producers  

Agriturismo Il sentiero delle Fate di Sara Coccia

Place of production  

Castelluccio di Norcia (PG)

These products help biodiversity

This traditional agricultural practice, without the use of herbicides, pesticides and chemical fertilizers, assists the growth of a great variety of plant species, which generate the spectacularly colourful flowers for which the Plains of Castelluccio are world famous. A variety of animal species are also assisted by these conditions. In particular there are many species of insects, necessary for other animal species, particularly birds. A famous animal, symbolic of this environment, is the partridge, a galliforme that was widespread in the past but this type of partridge is now virtually extinct. Typically these birds live in environments where traditional agriculture is practiced, and they have colonized the Plains of Castelluccio, although the high altitude of this location is unusual for the species. Other species encouraged by this type of farming are different granivorous and insectivorous passerines and small prey, such as the kestrel and the lesser kestrel. The latter species is of European Community interest and in the spring it migrates from Africa to southern Italy, where it nests. Before returning to Africa for the winter Lesser kestrel comes to Central Italy, to places like the Plains of Castelluccio, to find the food required to make the long trip home.