Picking wild mushrooms in Italy is a favourite pastime. Due to the warm Italian climate and suitable geographical location, it's easy to find prized wild mushrooms in the Alps, the Apennine mountains or in other woodlands. To take part in this activity, you must have a license. You can apply for the license if you're not Italian, but you will need to pass a course conducted in Italian. Therefore, the easiest way to enjoy the wild mushroom season in Italy is to go hunting with someone who already has the license.
There are different types of mushrooms that can be found—Porcini, Russulas, Velvet Pioppini and Morels. Some of them have become a feature of Italian cuisine in traditional dishes such as antipasto, Italian mushroom pasta, mushroom risotto, mushroom cream soup, etc. Italians treat mushrooms in a special way and use many of them in their cuisine due to their unique features. Did you know that mushrooms can protect human skin from excessive sun exposure?
The wild mushroom season begins in April and lasts until early November. The season can last a bit longer depending on the region and on the number of rainy days. In Southern Italy and the islands, you can pick wild mushrooms even in early winter. In the regions such as Abruzzo, Molise, Campania, Calabria, Basilicata, and parts of Sicily and Sardinia the season continues until late December.
