Mushroom Picking in Italy

Share | Print

Mushroom Picking in Italy

Rain and sunshine are the perfect combination for the growth of mushrooms, which means that summer and autumn each year are mushroom seasons in Italy.

Mushrooms are picked in many different areas and play an important part in Italian cuisine. They are eaten in many different ways: together with meat, game or poultry; used as a filling in ravioli; as part of a pasta or risotto dish; in soups or to make thick spreading creams.

When preserved in olive oil, mushrooms are also served as a starter, together with other antipasti. They may also be dehydrated - this is mostly the case for ceps (funghi porcini) - sold in little sachets and then rehydrated before use. Also worth mentioning is the famous white truffle (tartufo bianco) from Alba in the Piedmont region; a truffle is essentially a fungus that grows underground while a mushroom is an above ground fungus.

Funghi Porcini

Porcini mushrooms are prevalent all over the inland regions of Liguria, particularly in Alta Val Bormida, Val d'Aveto and Val di Vara.

There is a free service for mushroom pickers wanting to check whether a particular species is edible:

• Ispettorato Micologico della ASL 
  At: 4 Via GB Ghio 9, Chiavari
  Tel: 0185 3291

Mushrooming Licences

Mushroom picking is treated as a hobby by many people and in order to regulate this, a law was established on a national level, which is then adapted locally in each region.

A license (tesserino) is required to pick mushrooms everywhere in Italy. In some areas, this license will be delivered once the person has attended a basic course and passed a test; in other regions the license is given without conditions. 

The license can be bought from the Mountain Community (comunità montane), the Consortium of Management of Parks (consorzio di gestione dei parchi), the Province (provincia) or the City (il comune).

Each region or province has its own regulations, and also decides on a calendar (days when it is authorised to pick mushrooms and days during which mushroom picking is prohibited), as well as the quantity of mushrooms allowed per person (usually two or three kilograms per day per person). In some areas, there might be additional specific restrictions applying to certain species of mushrooms.

Licenses in the Liguria region

Before going mushroom picking, be sure to read up on the local laws in force that govern mushroom collection. Usually a temporary permit must be bought. 

Three types of license are available:

• Daily
• Annual (for residents)
• Annual (for non-residents)

Following passage of an April 29, 2006 law, people over the age of 65 are now exempt from paying for a license. People over 75 need not have a licence at all. Children under the age of 14 must be accompanied by an adult.

The licence can be bought at National Park visitor centres. In Val d'Aveto, a well known mushrooming area, they are also available from the following outlets:

• Bar Leon d'Oro Tel: 0185 880 48
• Bar Miravalle Tel: 0185 880 32
• Ristorante da Prevetto Tel: 0185 899 045
• Le Fate hotel Tel: 0185 899 020

In Liguria, no more than five kilograms of edible species may be collected per day per person. There are no limits on the quantity of mushrooms that may be gathered on private land by the owner of the land.

Mushroom pickers (fungaioli) may not use tools that damage the forest floor. There is a hefty fine for those caught breaking this rule. Wicker baskets must be used for collection as opposed to plastic bags which prevent mushroom spores being disseminated as pickers walk through the woods. 

Safety guidelines

Each year about 40,000 people suffer mushroom poisoning in Italy.

There are about 300 different types of non-edible mushrooms in Europe. Eating them can cause problems such as digestive discomfort (nausea, diarrhoea) for a limited period of time or more serious ailments such as convulsions, tachycardia or kidney infection.

In order to avoid this type of problems, the sanitation authorities (Unione Nazionale del Personale Ispettivo Sanitario d’Italia) give the following advice:

• never pick mushrooms in a polluted environment, close to a highway or a rubbish dump
• do not pick up mushrooms just for the sake of it
• after picking, place mushrooms in a wicker basket
• if unsure about the safety of a mushroom, do not mix it in the same basket with ones that are certainly safe
• get advice from a health professional; the staff of a local health department (ASL Agenzia Sanitaria Locale) will be in a position to provide free advice on the mushrooms collected

In case of poisoning, call or go to the Emergency Service (Pronto Soccorso). If possible, take some of the mushrooms or the remains of the dish eaten. Never try to self-cure, do not take any drugs, do not attempt to throw up.

Further Information

• More information from the Liguria Agriculture Department
• Micologi Associati (in Italian)