Autumn in Italy — When Chestnuts Reign

Autumn in Italy — When Chestnuts Reign

Piles of chestnuts in their outer shells
Piles of chestnuts in their outer shells

The aroma of wood-burning fires in the cool air . . . hillsides covered in yellow and orange . . . the sound of voices echoing through the woods as parents and children troop through the fallen leaves, collecting chestnuts…. this is October in Italy! We are in Licciana Nardi, a tiny hamlet in the Apuan Alps in the province of Lunigiana (northern Tuscany). This is the land of a hundred castles, where stones and turrets of bygone days seem to dominate every hilltop.

Roasting chestnuts in Licciana Nardi
Roasting chestnuts in Licciana Nardi

Although the day is warm and sunny, there is a hint of chill in the air, as if to remind us that winter is not far away. It is a time for harvest. The grapes are picked and the wine made;  large, juicy porcini mushrooms, which are either eaten fresh in pasta or risotto or dried to last through the winter, fill baskets. Chestnuts are collected from under the trees, their shiny dark brown skin peeking through the foliage. There are wine festivals and mushroom festivals. Then there are the festivals celebrating the role of the chestnut in the survival of the people through the centuries.

Walking through northern and central Italy, the “castagneti” (chestnut groves) cover the steep sides of the hills and mountains. You can see the nuts mixed in with the multicolored leaves on the forest floor — a carapace of prickly spines protecting a dark brown outer shell and a bitter inner skin; inside, a heart-shaped, soft nut. Chestnuts were cultivated in Italy as far back as Roman times; in fact, some believe that the Romans actually went out of their way to plant the trees to provide a future source of food for their soldiers. For centuries they were the main source of sustenance for the peasants during the winter months.

Making fritelle, Licciana Nardi
Making fritelle, Licciana Nardi

As we step into the village square, the aroma of roasting chestnuts fills the air. Large wood fires have been lit inside cut-out metal iron drums. Chestnuts fill the pans suspended from trestles. Men holding long poles attached to the roasting baskets sit in front of the flames and continually toss the chestnuts until they are done, the dark brown skins cracked open. Then, they are emptied into a large wicker basket and sold at the stall marked “mundina” (roasted chestnuts). You buy a paper cone with about 12-15 chestnuts that you peel and eat while they are still hot, dropping the peels in the town square which, by the end of the evening, is covered in inches of shells. Wash it all down with a glass of “vino novella” (new wine).

Other chestnuts are ground into flour and used to prepare the “Fritelle” (like a small crepe) where batter cooks over the fire between two iron plates attached to a handle.  You can buy them at the stall marked  “Cian” (Fritelle). There are different fillings but the ricotta and honey are particularly delicious.

The entire village of Licciana Nardi turns out to celebrate the chestnuts and to recreate what life was like in days gone by. After you have eaten your fill, walk down the main street. In the tiny medieval shops, inhabitants in period costumes demonstrate aspects of life as it once was. On one corner, an ironmonger hammers a piece of metal that he has just removed from a roaring fire, its tip glowing bright red as he shapes it into a clothes hook. Nearby an old woman, her face etched with deep lines, demonstrates how wool (produced by the flocks of sheep that are ubiquitous to the region) was spun and then woven into thick cloth. She invites you to try your hand at moving the shuttle in and out of the wool on the loom.

An old lady weaving cloth, Licciana Nardi
An old lady weaving cloth, Licciana Nardi

Outside one shop a cobbler, dressed in pantaloons and wearing pince-nez glasses, coats his awl with beeswax to help it slip through the leather and creates a hole for the needle and thread (also coated with beeswax) to sew together the pieces of his shoe. A basket weaver and his wife sit companionably together; she knits while he slowly and carefully weaves willow reeds into a basket to carry all sorts of goods, as in medieval times.

Before corn was introduced from the Americas in the 1600s, chestnut flour provided the main staple for the preparation of polenta. In one shop a woman stands at a grindstone, patiently preparing the flour. We ask her how long it has taken her to grind a cupful of flour. “All afternoon,” she replies. At the end of the street, two matrons preside over large black cauldrons of boiling water, stirring the contents with large wooden paddles. “What food or magic potion might this be?” we ask. The question produces a roar of laughter. “This isn’t food or a potion, ” they reply. “This is how our ancestors did the laundry.”

As the sun sets over the hills, music fills the air. Soon young and old will crowd the square, dancing to traditional music as they celebrate days gone by and the food that helped their ancestors survive through hard times. It is a tradition in Italy in October!

IF YOU GO
Chestnut festivals are held across Italy during October. If you are traveling during this period, check the websites of the regions you will be visiting for exact dates of the festivals which are usually held over two weekends. 
Licciana Nardi is a very small village in the Lunigiana Province of northern Tuscany that can easily be reached from La Spezia (Liguria) on the A15 heading towards Parma. Exit at Aulla and follow SP74 for about 10 miles.

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3 thoughts on “Autumn in Italy — When Chestnuts Reign

  1. What a lovely article. Felt very nostalgic reading this, we love Licciana but have never been lucky enough to be there for the chestnut festival. So well written that just for a few moments I was transported back there!

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