Mushroom Picking in Tuscany

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Mushroom Picking in Tuscany

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

Mushrooms are picked in many different areas and play an important part in Italian cuisine. They are eaten in myriad 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 was then adapted locally in each region.

Everywhere in Italy a license (tesserino) is required to pick mushrooms (sometimes only outside of city limits). 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 Town/City (il comune).

Each region or province has its own regulations, and also decides on a picking calendar (days when mushroom picking is allowed), as well as the quantity of mushrooms allowed per person (usually 3kg per day per person).

Mushrooming licences in Tuscany

A permit must be purchased (usually before collecting mushrooms outside of city limits). As laws differ from comune to comune, it is best to consult with the comune for specific rules.

Permits can be bought at national park visitor centres or from the local comune.

Permits will only be issued to those over 14 years of age. Children under 14 years of age may pick mushrooms only when supervised by an adult who has been issued a picking permit.

Before going mushroom picking, be sure to read up on the local laws in force that govern mushroom collection as these may supersede national laws.

Some towns have reciprocal agreements with their neighbouring towns, allowing mushroom pickers (fungaioli) with a permit to pick there. Towns also have the right to prohibit any picking or the collecting of specific species.

Mushrooms may be collected for personal or scientific purposes.

Licenses available in Tuscany are:

• Residential (for personal use): may be valid for one, three or six months, or one year or three years (some comunes offer a more limited selection of permits)
• Tourist (for personal use): valid for one or seven days (not necessarily consecutive, though the seven days are only valid until December 31 of the calendar year in which the permit was purchased)
• Scientific

Since 2006, people over the age of 65 have been exempt from license fees. People over 75 need not have a permit at all. Those residing in Mountain Communities are entitled to reduced-rate permits.

Collection Rules

In Tuscany, no more than 3kg of edible species may be collected per day per person, with the exception of residents of Mountain Communities who are allowed 6kg. There are no limits on the quantity of mushrooms that may be gathered on private land by the owner of the land.

Collection may only be done on public, uncultivated land, at least 100 metres from residential buildings. Some cooperatives of pickers and even individual residents in mountain communities may be given exclusive rights to pick in an area, making it off-limits to other mushroom pickers. Inquire about these areas when applying for the permit.

Picking must be done at least 20 metres from the edge of the roadway in public green spaces.

Collection may occur from one hour before sunrise to one hour after sunset.

Mushroom pickers may not use tools (such as rakes or hooks) that damage the forest floor. There is a hefty fine for those caught breaking this rule.

Wicker-type baskets must be used for collection to ensure mushroom spores are disseminated as pickers walk through the woods (placing the mushrooms in bags is illegal).

It is illegal to pick the following mushrooms if the cap is less than:

• 4cm for Boletus mushrooms
• 3cm for Hygrophorus marzuolus (sleeper) and the Calocybe gambosa/Tricholoma georgii (blackthorn) mushrooms

It is prohibited to collect Amanita cesarea (royal agaric/ovolo buono) if the gills are not yet exposed to air.

Types of Mushrooms One Can Expect to Find in Tuscany

• agaric (in Italian: ovoli)
• chanterelle (Cantharellus lutescens/finerle)
• finferli chanterelle (Cantharellus cibarius/galletti)
• green russola (including Russula virescens/russole)
• honey agaric (Armillariella mellea/chiodini)
• milk-cap (Lactarius deliciosus/sanguinelli or lattari)
• parasol (Lepiota procera/mazze di tamburo)
• pinaroli (pinaroli)
• porcini (porcini)

For help identifying mushrooms, a local pharmacy may be of assistance, or contact:

• Centro Antiveleni Florence
  At: Viale G.B.Morgagni 65, Florence
  Tel: 0554 277 238
  Website

Safety

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 digestive discomfort (nausea, diarrhoea) or more serious ailments such as convulsions, tachycardia or kidney infection.

Safety when picking

• Wear clothing to adequately protect against the elements, including stinging insects and sharp or clinging plants
• It is usually best to go mushroom picking a few days after rain, preferably on a warm, dry day
• Use a stick to move the earth and use a knife to detach the mushroom, making sure the stalk is kept attached (for easier identification)
• If a questionable mushroom is picked, keep it separate from other collected mushrooms to avoid contamination and in order to avoid inadvertent ingestion
• Avoid picking mushrooms with holes, as they may contain insects or their larvae
• Avoid picking mushrooms which are growing in an industrial area as the mushrooms may have absorbed toxins

The staff of a local health department (Agenzia Sanitaria Locale/ASL) may be able 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. Do not ingest any drugs, do not attempt to vomit.

Further Information

• For information on the mountains around Pisa, including a page on mushroom collecting: Click here
• For information regarding mushroom picking in Florence: Click here (in Italian)
• For information on mushroom picking permits in Pisana: Click here (in Italian)
• For information on mushroom picking permits in Acquacheta: Click here
• Florence Mycological Group (Il Gruppo Micologico Fiorentino)
  At: Via di San Romano 21, 50135 Settignano (FI)
  Tel: 0556 549 195  
  e-mail
  Website (in Italian)