Mushroom Picking in Italy

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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. And the 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.

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 Lazio Region

In the Lazio region, the license (tesserino regionale di autorizzazione alla raccolta) is issued to people over the age of 14 who have attended a course. The course is open to residents (it is held in Italian only).

Following a law of 29 April 2006, people over the age of 65 are now exempt from paying for a license.

• The request for the license is downloadable; the form should be filled in and posted: Click here (PDF)
• A tax stamp to be enclosed with the form
  • Post to: Alla Provincia di Roma
    Servizio Caccia e Pesca
    Via Nomentana n.54
    00161 Rome

Licences must be renewed annually (there is a fee) and payment can be made directly into the account:

• Account number: c.c.p. 37716792
  Name: Amministrazione Provinciale Roma (mention: rinnovo annuale permesso di raccolta funghi)

• For other licence request forms (renewal, duplicat): Click here

Mushroom picking

In the Lazio region and the province of Rieti, mushrooms may be picked four days per week: Tuesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Mushrooms most commonly found are: ceps (funghi porcini), cultivated mushrooms (i prataoili), mushrooms called "ovules" because of their shape (ovuli), mushrooms called pancakes because of their shape (galletti), pinaroli and mazze di Camburo. These are found everywhere in the surrounding woods and mountains.

Regional contacts

• Provincia di Roma, Ufficio Caccia, Pesca e Funghi (Province of Rome, Office of Hunting, Fishing and Mushrooms)
  At: Via Nomentana 54, 00161 Rome
  Tel: 06 67668740
  Fax: 06 67668738

Safety Guidelines

Each year about 40,000 people suffer from 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 these problems, the sanitation authorities (Unione Nazionale del Personale Ispettivo Sanitario d’Italia) offer 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
• put 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 vomit.

In case of emergency, refer to AngloINFO INFOrmation Page Emergency Telephone Numbers in Rome

Further Information

• Micologi Associati (in Italian)