La Fioritura

Every year in early summer the flowers in the fields around the Italian town of Castelluccio bloom in a remarkable display that attracts visitors from around the world. This year Adi Geisegger finally got to see it for himself – from the air

Castelluccio is a well-known name to pilots. Even if you haven’t been there, you have probably head of it. It’s a tiny village that sits on an outcrop in the middle of a high plateau – the Piano Grande – surrounded by hills that look custom-made for free flight. Sometimes called “Italy’s little Tibet” the plateau is a remote valley with a distant, other-worldly feel, despite only being a three-hour 200km drive northeast from Rome, or a couple of hours east from Perugia, the closest international airport. 

Coming from southern Germany in the camper van it took a...