My wife loves elderberry pie and always picked them as a kid in Ohio but we never found them during our 20 yrs in New Mexico. In this part of Italy we see bushes along the roads that look a lot like elderberries to us but when we ask locals they warn us that they are poison.

I know they use these, also called sambucus, in northern Europe. Has anyone actually picked and eaten wild elderberries here in Italy?

Bacca di sambuco. Haven't picked and eaten those, but I've picked a mess of blackberries and made my vicini jam. They made me an honorary boscarino.

Yes, I have picked and eaten them. In fact, I just this moment finished making gelatina di sambuco. The elderberries here are exactly like the ones I have picked all my life and are unpleasant when raw and can cause some distress if eaten just off the bush, but when cooked are perfectly safe and delicious. There is another local plant that is similar to the one you know, but I find it quite different, different leaves, etc. To be sure, crush a berry and count the seeds. 3 seeds per berry and they are fine--4 or 5 and skip it. Once you have confirmed that they are ok, you will not confuse them with the other plant. And there's no competition for elderberries!

Thanks chefdg1,
This sounds like perfect advise and we will be counting seeds.

i freeze mine and in the winter i juice one tablespoon per person and add to our morning juice and the huge amount of vit c keeps our immune systems flying.