Updated 25/09/2012.
It's harvest time in Lazio. That means only one thing in the province of Viterbo... Sagre delle Castagne! These festivals feature everything chestnut-y (Castanea sativa) and are thrown all over Northern Lazio.
It's harvest time in Lazio. That means only one thing in the province of Viterbo... Sagre delle Castagne! These festivals feature everything chestnut-y (Castanea sativa) and are thrown all over Northern Lazio.
One of the largest is in Soriano nel Cimino, about 11km east of Viterbo, north of Lago di Vico. As with most sagre, it features a medieval parade and open air restaurants. What sets it aside from others, apart from its size, are two unique events. The first is a Palio, where the four quarters of Soriano nel Cimino compete against each other in medieval sports such as jousting and archery. The second, a reenactment of an ancient battle with neighboring Vignanello, where the sorianesi successfully defeated and indeed killed the Count of Vignanello, who tried to take Soriano, coveting it for himself.
The festival starts on the 28th September and finishes on the 14th October. Check out their promo video below, it's amazing (especially considering it's about chestnuts!). Click through to their website for more information.
For a full list of sagre in the provincia di Viterbo, not just for chestnuts but also mushrooms (e.g. the Sagra del Fungo Ferlenga in Tarquinia) and sausages (e.g. the Sagra della Salsiccia in Morlupo on the 27-28th October) click on this link to the folclore website (in italian).
If you have a glut of chestnuts yourself (what would that be called, a cacophony, a catastrophe?), check out this blog post from Pane, amore e Creatività, which gives 100 cooking recipes using chestnuts, which should keep you going for a while ;)
Photo credit: Pane, amore e Creatività
We had heard it is not a very good year for chestnuts with disease having hit many trees in northern Italy. Ours here in Lazio seem to be suffering as well but mainly from lack of rain.
ReplyDeleteYeah, there are two diseases going round, a fungal infection and a leaf mining moth. They are meant to be spreading south through Italy. Together, they are quite deadly, unfortunately :(
ReplyDeleteWe will be passing through this region of Italy, on the 13th. Where can I find information about events at the 2012 festival?
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment. The post was actually updated for 2012, so the links and dates are still relevant. Here is a link to the programme in Soriano - http://www.sagradellecastagne.com/programma.asp Hope you enjoy the festival!
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