Chestnuts in Tuscany

From the Casentino to the Monte Amiata, from the Mugello to the Pistoia mountains, up to the Lunigiana, October is a multiplication of festivals and feasts dedicated to another fruit of the Tuscan landscape, as are olives, chestnuts.

The chestnut grove shows itself as the most typical and representative wood of the Tuscan landscape, when you leave the hills and climb the mountains.

Moving from Castagna Pistolese to Marrone di Caprese Michelangelo, to the brown colors of Mugello up to Marron Buono di Marradi, we can taste productions of extraordinary goodness of a fruit with the Igp brand – Protected geographical indication – which are the Chestnut of Monte Amiata and the Marroni of Mugello, that lets itself be cooked in a thousand ways, changing its name according to the cooking methods and areas: dried and then reduced to flour to make “bread of neccio” (it was the bread of the poor in the mountains or in famines when the grain was scarce) , pasta and desserts or polente (sweet bread, tagliatelle pasta, chestnut cacke, pattona cake) but also a tasty “velvety”, boiled (humble cooked chestnuts but also fine marron glacè), cooked under the ashes or roasted (burnt or roasted), in all excellent ways.

WHERE TO GO: TOP FESTIVALS IN TUSCANY

  • The festival of Marroni and undergrowth fruits in Palazzuolo sul Senio (FI), every Sunday in October
  • The Chestnut Festival and of Marron Buono di Marradi (FI), every Sunday in October
  • The Autumn Festival in Abbadia San Salvatore (SI), the second and third weekend in October
  • 16th Festival of Castanicoltura in Cutigliano (PT), 27th October
  • The Chestnut Festival in Arcidosso (GR), 18th/20th and 25th/27th October
  • Festival of the Marrone di Caprese, in Caprese Michelangelo (AR), where Buonarroti was born, third and fourth weekends of October
  • Il Crastatone di Piancastagnaio (SI), the oldest event dedicated to the chestnut on Monte Amiata, from 31st October to 3rd November
  • Festival of Biondina From 20th to 22nd October in the municipality of Roccalbegna (gr)