
Mushroom Pickshaming: A View from Tuscany
Mushroom pickshaming is a real fight for UK foragers. In Tuscany a full basket gets bragged about among friends, or hidden from …

A field guide to Tuscan mushrooms: species identification, foraging regulations, ecology and seasonal patterns in the forests of the Apennines and Apuan Alps. Written by a certified nature guide based in Pistoia.
The forests around Pistoia and the Apennine ridge are among the richest mycological habitats in Tuscany. From the prized porcini to the striking Amanita muscaria, these posts cover species identification, ecology, and the culture of mushroom hunting in this region.
If you’re new to foraging, start with how to identify poisonous mushrooms — it covers the key principles before you head into the field. For location-specific guidance, the Acquerino foraging guide maps out what grows where in one of Tuscany’s most productive forests. And don’t miss the local regulations — they’re strict and worth knowing before you pick anything.

Mushroom pickshaming is a real fight for UK foragers. In Tuscany a full basket gets bragged about among friends, or hidden from …

Squirrels and slugs eat death caps and walk away. Here is why animal damage tells you nothing about whether a mushroom is safe for …

Does cooking make poisonous mushrooms safe? Heat destroys some mushroom toxins completely and leaves the ones that kill you …

Cut or pull mushrooms? A Swiss forest experiment ran from 1977 to 2003 and found the harvesting method makes no difference to the …

Where Leccinum aurantiacum, the red-capped bolete, grows in Tuscany, how to tell it from the aspen bolete, and why its cut flesh …

Planning a truffle hunting tour near Florence or in Tuscany? Learn what’s real, what’s staged, and why authentic mushroom foraging …

Learn where Armillaria mellea grows in Tuscany, how it kills and then decomposes trees, and how to tell it from the deadly …

Bracken fern often marks acidic soils where porcini thrive in Tuscany. Learn to read the forest floor and discover this ancient …

Discover the most common mushrooms at Acquerino: porcini, chanterelles, and more. A seasonal guide to foraging in the Pistoiese …

Yellow stagshorn (Calocera viscosa): the bright jelly fungus on pine stumps often mistaken for a chanterelle. Identification …

Learn how to identify the birch bolete (Leccinum scabrum) by its brown cap and scabrous stem, and why it's rare in Tuscan forests.

The porcelain fungus (Oudemansiella mucida): translucent, slimy, and found on beech trees. Identification and ecology.

The spiky mushroom with raised scales on its cap: Pholiota squarrosa. Identification, habitat, and ecology in Tuscan forests.

Learn to identify and find chanterelles (galletti, gallinacci) in Tuscany's forests with expert mycological guidance and …

The cauliflower fungus (Sparassis crispa): identification, pine forest habitat, and where to find it in Tuscany.