Chestnut Festival in Trecastagni

Autumn is the best time to enjoy delicious chestnuts, a fruit appreciated by lovers of good food and known to international level for its numerous beneficial properties, as well as for its delicacy. Trecastagni, a town in Catania on the slopes of the fascinating Etna volcano, celebrates the chestnut with a truly interesting festival held on weekends in October.

The event is a unique opportunity for the people of Trecastagna, who gather in the city streets to enjoy it typical local products , wines, tasty cheeses, excellent flours. It is not just a food and wine event but a real explosion of folklore, which highlights the habits of the villagers, injecting an enormous dose of joy into the hearts of the inhabitants.

The flavors of Sicily at the chestnut festival in Trecastagni are the undisputed protagonists, together with handicraft and to the evolutions of the local culture, which accompany generations up to the present day, without ever abandoning the dictates that come from past centuries but never stop arousing unique emotions.

The history of the festival

The origins of the festival must undoubtedly be sought in the specificity of the Etna territory , in a landscape context where the chestnut represents a source of supply of very precious wood.

The name of the municipality itself could refer to a site where they were present 3 chestnuts , although there are other interpretations, such as the one that associates it with the 3 chaste lambs, that is, the patron saints Alfio, Filadelfio and Cirino, remembered as martyrs by the Catholic faithful. The festival is certainly dedicated to this wonderful tree, which offers the possibility of obtaining a particular type of wood, beautiful from an aesthetic point of view and which guarantees excellent durability.

Many companies have settled in the area which deal with the transformation of wood into a product intended for the construction and furniture sectors. This dualism between the wood production and the strictly culinary sphere is the winning card for combining artisan creativity with typicality, with delicacies to eat suitable for all age groups and with the inevitable chestnut.

A whole month of events

The peculiarity that distinguishes this event is the length of the celebrations, which last practically for the whole month . October is not a random deadline because it coincides with the exact period in which chestnuts are harvested and made into a perfect product to embellish recipes.

Flour can be used to prepare nutritious delicacies , with a rather dark appearance that turns towards brownish, visually recalling rustic delights. On the palate it presents a delicate and sweetish note, pleasant and engaging, ideal for pairing with ricotta or cured meats. In the town, the stands dedicated to this fruit offer the privilege of tasting many delicacies.

Together with preparations dedicated to chestnuts it is not uncommon to find nougat banquets and other flavors of Sicily at the chestnut festival in Trecastagni. The liveliest days are those of the weekend, with events of all kinds ranging from music to shows for the little ones, with themed initiatives, workshops, concerts, parades, dances, lunches, snacks and snacks.

A place that transforms into an explosion of hilarity

The town of Trecastagni dresses up completely in celebration, with decorations and decorations in practically every municipal street, retracing the long tradition that links the festival to the territory. The power plant Piazza Guglielmo Marconi it is a reference for all those who want to arrive in the splendid location on the slopes of Etna, at an altitude of almost 600 metres.

The landscape postcard is attractive and the tourist can enjoy an inimitable panorama, precisely because of the slope which gives Trecastagni a position where the horizon offers breathtaking views from above. The appointment is excellent for visiting the surrounding area and discovering a beautiful environment or for walking in search of a restaurant, a bar or a pastry shop where you can buy Sicilian sweets.

Stand on the flavors of Sicily at the chestnut festival in Trecastagni

There are many things to do during the festival and include a tour to immerse yourself in the traditional craft market, which in October is colorful food stands , stalls where you can buy plants, typical products and other items of all kinds. Hobbyists have the opportunity to showcase the works of their ingenuity, introducing the public to old-fashioned creations such as wicker baskets.

A suggestive note that deserves highlighting is the presence of Sicilian carts , decorated with bright colors, ready to attract the attention of the curious and even of children. In addition to the flavors of Sicily, the chestnut festival in Trecastagni is the best situation to learn more about the transformation of wood into a very high quality product.

The companies in the district are specialized in this work and take the opportunity to provide food for thought on the past, present and future, inserting the economic and employment element into the themes of the festival.
Anyone who is in Sicily in the month of October absolutely cannot miss such an inspiring celebration.

How to get to the festival

In auto you can travel along the A18 motorway section, then exit at Giarre or Acireale. For those traveling on the A19, however, the references are the Catania Centro and Motta S. Anastasia junctions. There is also the alternative of the high-flow roads of the ring road, with exits in Catania Centro or Paese Etna.

With the company train the stops are those of Acireale or the Europa station of Catania, then proceeding by bus or autonomous means in the direction of Trecastagni.