Preserving Italy’s Famed Wildflower Bloom from Overtourism過度旅游傷環境，意大利野生花海須保護

斯特凡尼婭·迪尼奧蒂　陳麗/譯

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 Europes most stunning nature shows.

一年一度，通往意大利小村莊卡斯特盧喬唯一的一條石子路會搖身變為最佳席位，此處可觀賞歐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.

從5月中旬至7月初，野花將下方的高地大平原渲染成各種色調的金色、紅色和藍色，由此誕生了fioritura delle lenticchie（意大利語，義為“扁豆花海”），更常見的名稱是“卡斯特盧喬花海”。

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

翁布里亞大區被稱為意大利的“綠肺”，在這片蔥郁的風景線上，每年夏天的野花綻放是當地人的驕傲，是值得年年期待的高光時刻。在經歷了2016年的兩次災難性地震和2020年的新冠疫情之后，花海顯得更加重要。

“At least the [second] quakes brutality didnt 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 wouldve meant a collective heartbreak.”

“感謝上帝，（第二次）地震雖然嚴重，但至少沒有改變我們周圍地區的漂亮風景。不然的話，我們就要集體心碎了。”尼科萊塔·馬爾齊亞利說。她在那次6.6級的地震中失去了祖傳的家宅和生意。

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.

但是現在，隨著國際旅游限制開始解除，以馬爾齊亞利為代表的當地人開始擔憂起新的威脅——成群結隊的游客為了拍照和在社交媒體上發帖而踐踏那些嬌嫩的花朵。這個問題近年來也困擾著其他熱門的野花觀賞地，比如美國加利福尼亞。

Last years la fiorita offered a worrying sign of what may come. After Italys 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.

去年的花海顯露出令人憂心的苗頭，可以預見到未來的情形。意大利于5月初解除了最嚴格的封鎖之后，6月底的一個周末高峰期就有兩萬渴望戶外活動的游客涌至卡斯特盧喬。有幾個游客被發現踏入田地、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.”

“因為交通堵塞嚴重、小徑過于擁擠，（觀光）幾乎難以實現。再過幾年，（欣賞這片地區的風景）或許會變得難以為繼。”克勞迪婭·琴奇說。她住在佩魯賈，經常在卡斯特盧喬徒步旅行。

Leave it to nature

讓大自然做主

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， Castellucios primary source of revenue.

高地大平原是一個巖溶（石灰巖）盆地，一側與錫比利尼山脈接壤，托庇于錫比利尼山脈國家公園。大平原是扁豆農場的搖籃，這些扁豆是卡斯特盧喬最主要的收入來源。

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

這些小小的、棕綠色的扁豆因具有細膩的堅果風味而倍受歡迎。因為種植的海拔高，它們得以避免噴灑殺蟲劑。冬天低于零度的氣溫天然就能殺滅害蟲，比如以豆類為食的象鼻蟲。

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.

不使用化學藥劑——這一點在花海的形成中起到了關鍵作用：它允許大自然自主發展。整個生長季節，扁豆植株綻放的小小白色花朵間夾雜著芥末花、罌粟花、風鈴草（又稱“維納斯鏡花”）和矢車菊。

“I like to believe its 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，正是因為我們致力于用最不影響環境的方式來培育（扁豆），大自然才每年回饋給我們一場最美的表演。”當地農業合作社的創建人內洛·佩拉說。該合作社已有40年歷史，由13家農場組成，堅持在這片山谷只使用有機耕作方式。

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

農民栽種作物的地點不同、時間不同，所以花朵出芽的時間也不同。佩拉說，此地風景因輪流交替的花期聞名世界，秘密就在于此。

Each wildflowers 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 Castelluccios 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.”

農西奧·泰斯塔解釋道，每種野花的出現都表明扁豆生長周期的一個成熟階段，并提醒農民什么時候采摘最為合適。他是成立于1982年的一家旅游組織“卡斯特盧喬發展促進會”的秘書長。“這是卡斯特盧喬與大自然交流的獨特方式。”他笑著說，“我們只要向窗外看一看，花朵的顏色就會告訴我們該做什么。”

A hikers paradise

徒步旅行者的天堂

While the area is an important agricultural zone， its also an outdoor lovers 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.

盡管這一地區是重要的農耕帶，它也是戶外愛好者的夢想之地。徒步旅行的步行道可以遠眺山谷和山脈，在目力所及的范圍內延伸。近年來，卡斯特盧喬已經成為許多意大利人周末逃離城市喧囂的勝地。

Hiking guide Simone Gatto credits the popularity of these trails to their level of accessibility; they can accommodate all types of hikers， from inexperienced to well-seasoned， from individuals to families. “Theyre good to explore by bike or on horseback，” he says. “This place can make any kind of hiker happy.”

徒步旅行向導西莫內·加托認為，這些步行道之所以受歡迎是因為它們具有很高的適用性。它們適合所有類型的徒步旅行者，從沒有經驗的新手到經驗豐富的老手，從單人到家庭，全都可以來。“它們很適合騎自行車或騎馬探索。”他說，“這里能令各類遠足者心滿意足。”

Cenci has long explored these trails and had been looking forward to visiting after quarantine. “I traveled all over the world before the pandemic， but I feel lucky because the most beautiful landscape of all is just a few kilometers away from home.” she says.

琴奇很早以前就開始探索這些步行道，并且一直期待封鎖結束后再次來訪。她表示：“疫情暴發前我旅行去過全球各地，而最漂亮的風景距離我家就幾公里，我為此感到非常幸運。”

But seeing more visitors discovering the areas natural beauty has Castelluccio residents thinking of ways to stem the effects of mass tourism. Californias Lake Elsinore， where “poppy mania” has threatened the local ecosystem， is one source of inspiration. There， volunteers are limiting cars into the area and pedestrian access to the fields. To help reduce pollution， theyre providing shuttle service for a small fee.

但是，眼見越來越多的游客發現了卡斯特盧喬的美，當地居民開始考慮采取措施來遏制大規模旅游造成的不良影響。美國加利福尼亞的埃爾西諾湖提供了一個靈感來源：那里的罌粟花海引發的狂熱已經威脅到當地的生態系統，于是志愿者們限制汽車駛入該區域，并限制進入田野的步行者人數；為了減少污染，他們還提供往返大巴服務，只向游客收取少許車費。

But for residents like Marziali， the most effective path is education. If monitoring traffic proves to be insufficient in reducing the negative impacts， Marziali says citizens of Castelluccio are considering other options， such as free workshops. In the coming years， these informal classes could teach tourists how to enjoy the view responsibly.

但是，對于馬爾齊亞利等居民而言，最有效的途徑是教育。假如監管交通不能有效降低負面影響，馬爾齊亞利說，卡斯特盧喬的居民將考慮其他選擇，比如開辦免費講習班。以后，這些非正式的課堂將教導游客如何帶著保護環境的責任心來欣賞風景。

“We are eager to share the emotional benefits of this uplifting view with the rest of the world， especially now that we have all gone through hard times” because of the coronavirus， says Marziali. “But we also want visitors to soak up our principles of respect towards the environment， so that tourism can also become as sustainable as our harvesting methods.”

“我們渴望與世界各地的人分享這片令人振奮的風景帶來的情感慰藉，尤其考慮到我們都經歷了疫情肆虐的艱難時期。”馬爾齊亞利說，“但我們仍然希望游客們能夠充分理解我們尊重環境的原則，使旅游業也可以像我們的農耕方式一樣可持續發展。＂

（譯者單位：北京外國語大學英語學院）