Nei campi di zafferano presso il villaggio di Pampore

Kashmiri villagers collect saffron flowers from a saffron field in Pampore, some 25 km south of Srinagar, the summer capital of Indian Kashmir, 04 November 2010. Pampore is famous world wide for its best quality Saffron. Kashmir is the only place in India, and one of the few places in the world where saffron, the world’s most expensive spice grows, to be more specific only on the plateau land of Pampore, just outside Srinagar. Saffron is not grown on any of the other fertile alluvial plateaus of Kashmir, and the people of Pampore are fond of saying there is a certain magical element in the soil of Pampore which helps the flowers to bloom and the stigmas to be imbued with aroma. EPA/FAROOQ KHAN