Chestnut Festival in Mezzojuso

La chestnut festival in Mezzojuso it is a journey through the taste and history of the country. L'event's audience in fact it involves visitors in various artistic, sporting and culinary activities to live a very interesting experience discovery of Mezzojuso.

The chestnut festival in Mezzojuso

Mezzojuso, a village on the eastern slopes of the Busambra fortress, welcomes tourists every year with the chestnut festival, a big party that engages the community for 3 days.

The event does not have a program that is repeated every year, but usually the first day there are the inauguration of exhibitions and exhibition stands and in the evening, the town comes alive with a show with traditional music. Throughout the event they are organized visits to the chestnut grove which is located on the edge of the village. There are walking routes o by bike which present different levels of difficulty and therefore some are also suitable for children, while others are reserved for trekking experts.
For some years the municipality has been organizing a parade of folk groups and flag-wavers also parade through the streets. School groups become young tourist guides, visitors are fascinated by antique book restoration workshops and those on the icons that recall the Albanian origins of the first inhabitants of the country. To make the link between past and present closer, there are also the theatrical performances with puppets which represent a journey into the world of chivalry while the scent of roasted chestnuts and lentil and chestnut soup delights the palate of tourists.

The history of the chestnut festival in Mezzojuso

In the early years, the chestnut festival had the sweet autumn fruit as its only protagonist, but in recent years the event has become a great tool for promoting the culture and history of the town. Tourists therefore no longer only appreciate the chestnut and the cuisine linked to the fruit, but set off to discover Mezzojuso with its churches with Byzantine rite, iconography workshops and the restoration of ancient books. The festival therefore helps to understand the culture of the country and its evolution.

When the chestnut festival takes place in Mezzojuso

The festival in Mezzojuso takes place every year on the last weekend of October.

Where the event takes place

Piazza Umberto I in Mezzojuso is the meeting point for the departures of groups to discover the chestnut grove and the fulcrum of the party. However, the event also involves the narrow streets of the centre, Piazza Francesco Spallitta and Piazza Principe Corvino where games for children and tasting stands who sell them chestnuts and the other typical products.

What to do during the chestnut festival in Mezzojuso

In the days of the chestnut festival Mezzojuso offers tourists many interesting activities in addition to walks in the chestnut grove di Ficuzza forest. In Piazza Umberto I there is to visit the Mother Church of S. Nicolò di Mira of the Greek-Byzantine rite. The building dates back to the XNUMXth century and is one of the oldest churches built by the Albanian exiles, the first inhabitants of the town. A few meters upstream from the square is the Mother Church Maria SS. Announced of the Latin rite which contains several interesting works such as a wooden sculpture of the Crucifix from 1693 by an unknown Sicilian sculptor and some eighteenth-century canvases. Another interesting destination is the castle, the first fortification built by the Albanian soldiers who fled their country for the Turkish-Ottoman invasion. Over time, the structure became the residence of the feudal lords of the town who transformed it into a stately building. The Basilian Monastery fascinates historians with the vast library which houses very rare Greek codes, the building is now home to a antique book restoration workshop.

How to get to Piazza Umberto I in Mezzojuso for the chestnut festival

From Palermo by car, take via Roma in the direction of Via Cala on the SS113 and after 8km exit at Villalbate and follow the SS121 up to Bolognetta to take the SP77 in the direction of Cefalà Diana. Continue towards Mezzojuso on the SP55, and take the Mezzojuso/Campofelice di Fitalia exit. Follow the road for 4km up to via Antonio Gramsci and continue towards piazza Umberto I where there are the stands and meeting points for the routes in the chestnut grove.