Bad weather doesn't always have a silver lining: this year's crazy summer, which alternated high temperatures with abundant rain, making those who remained in the city suffer, or ruining the holidays for many vacationers, not to mention the significant damage caused to the agriculture - the Coldiretti it currently estimates damages of over half a billion to agricultural crops – on the other hand it has made the happiness of thousands and thousands of mushroom hunters scattered throughout the peninsula. They had never seen so many and the 2018 thanks to the incessant rains that characterized the crazy Italian summer, he will be remembered for a record production. Exactly the opposite of what happened with the drought of 2017 which heavily penalized the revenues of the sector. Green light therefore in search of porcini, chanterelles, little hands, trumpets, nails, drumsticks, dry shrimp, dogwoods, field mushrooms in the over 10 million hectares of forest that cover a third of the peninsula. Autumn tourism will benefit.
In September this year, 11,6 million registered tourists on vacation with a 5% increase over last year. The research activity has not only a hobby nature but also performs an economic function in support of internal wooded areas where it represents an important income supplement for thousands of "professionals" committed to supplying shops and restaurants with typical local products, with positive on tourist flows. But it is also necessary, industry experts warn, avoid improvisations and follow some important rules ranging from respecting specific rules and constraints present in the various territories, to picking only mushrooms that you are sure of and absolutely not trusting sayings and clichés, but also always contacting, in case of uncertainty, for checks at Municipalities or Mycological Unions and use wicker baskets and avoid plastic bags.
The good season is also an opportunity for gourmets who prefer to look for them on the shelves. In this case, another recommendation applies, check the indication place of collection or cultivation, of the origin on the label or on special tags which must be reported starting from this year.
