Fantastic Fall Festivals in Tuscany
Tuscany brims with abundance in Autumn, with the grape harvest in the early part of the season and the new olive oil pressed in the later part of the season. In the middle, October and November are dedicated to things that grow in the woods—think, truffles, chestnuts and mushrooms. Tuscans are attached to the fall rituals of foraging for these products and if you’re interested in joining a truffle hunt, let me know and I’ll set it up for you.
The occupants of the wooded mountainous areas of Tuscany have been cultivating chestnuts and making chestnut flour since about 1000 AD, whereas truffle hunting goes back to the ancient Greeks and Romans, who considered truffles to be aphrodisiacs, however, it was in the 18th century that truffle hunting was taken on seriously in Italy.
Porcini mushrooms, popular for their meaty flavor, are found in Tuscany in the late fall, after a rain (and in the spring). A word to the wise: fresh Porcini are always better than dried. The dried ones accumulate toxic heavy metals in significant amounts and they tend to come from China, and be of very low quality, even if they are labeled Italian.
If you’re visiting Tuscany in the fall, there are a plethora of food festivals, often referred to as sagre—from the Latin, sacrum, meaning holy. While the sagre started out with a religious focus, they are now often dedicated to a specific local food. Here are some to whet your appetite:
Marradi
Sagra delle Castagne (Chestnut Festival)
Marradi’s Chestnut Festival is the largest one in Tuscany, as the town is famous for Marroni di Marradi, one of the most highly regarded chestnut types in the world. The popular festival takes place every weekend during October.
Located north of Florence in the Mugello region, this rural town has unexpected noble palazzi, due to noble families taking refuge here after having been exiled from their city.
During the festival the streets are packed with visitors, musicians, food booths, and of course chestnuts roasting in antique iron roasters over open fires. The restaurants are packed, and waits can be very long to get food, so reserving ahead is advised.
I have gone twice to the Marradi festival, once via the steam train, which was a fun experience on an antique steam train full of historic charm. Find info about it here. Marradi can also be reached by regular train and by car.
Castiglione di Garfagnana
Fiera del fungo, della Castagna e del Tartufo (Mushroom, Chestnut and Truffle Festival)
Visiting this Medieval fortified town in the mountainous Garfagnana region above Lucca, is like stepping back in time. Castiglione di Garfagnana began as a fortress, built to protect the pass over the Apennines. The town went through terrible battles with Lucca in the Middle Ages (Lucca destroyed it three times). Finally Lucca stopped destroying it, and instead took it over, and reinforced its defenses. Thus the battlements and walls you see there now were built by the Lucchese in the 1370s.
At Castiglione’s fall festival, (held on a weekend in mid-October) all three of the woodland products take center stage. The truffle found in this region is the tartufo scorzone (black summer truffle) which has a yellow flesh, and is not considered one of the prized truffles but I would not turn it down on fresh tagliolini with butter or shaved over a poached egg!
My friend and I lined up to get truffle pasta, chestnut torta, and red wine in a plastic glass, to eat in the church courtyard. There is not much in the way of restaurants in this small town so just deal with standing in line for the food that is served up by volunteers next to the church of San Michele. After lunch we perused an exhibit dedicated to intriguing types of mushrooms in the town hall, and enjoyed exploring the fortifications and listening to the Italian swing band in the small main piazza.
Castiglione di Garfagnana can be reached by bus from Lucca but driving there is easiest.
San Miniato
Mostra Mercato Nazionale del Tartufo Bianco (White Truffle Festival)
This lovely Tuscan hill town, in the province a Pisa, holds a festival dedicated to white truffles during the last three weekends of November. It attracts foodies, professional truffle buyers, chefs, food critics, and locals from surroundings areas who love an excuse to indulge in the gastronomic delights of their region. The restaurants are packed and waits can be very long to get food, so reserving ahead is advised.
The two products I bought here: a tub of this decadent spreadable truffle cheese that made an aphrodisiacal sauce on fresh pasta, and a few bottles of organic truffle oil from an organic farm located south of San Miniato that produces high quality organic truffle products.
Speaking of decadent cheese, my heart flipped when I saw this one: Basajo is blue cheese with sheep’s milk in the style of French Roquefort, aged in the sweet wine called Zibibbo (from the island of Pantelleria) and then coated with raisins from the Zibibbo grapes. We are not in Kansas anymore!
San Miniato can be reached by car or train. It is also on the Via Francigena and pilgrims reach it by foot. See my memoir for more about that!
San Giovanni d’Asso
Mostra Mercato del Tartufo Bianco (White Truffle Festival)
Located in southern Tuscany near Montalcino, this small town renowned for white truffles boasts Italy’s first truffle museum. The truffle festival here, on the 2nd and 3rd weekend in November, is one of the most important in Italy.
The white truffle of this area is valued in the range of Euro 2,000 to 6,000 per kilo (depending on the year) and the festival provides a perfect opportunity to taste this “white diamond”.
Expect live music, a zero-kilometer cooking show, markets with products from the region (pecorino cheese is big here) and opportunities to buy the precious tuber. Note that restaurants are very crowded and it makes for a more pleasant experience if you reserve ahead for your lunch!
The museum is open on weekends from 10 to 1 and 2 to 6. A delightful steam train can be taken to this festival, from Grosetto. Find info about it here.
For more about things to see and places to explore in the Tuscan countryside, go here.
Do you have a favorite food festival in Tuscany? Let me know in the comments!
Wendy says
Fantastic article Chandi! This definitely makes me way to go to Italy in the fall and try the amazing truffles and chestnuts etc! The authentic down to earth flavors are so appealing and I love the way the Italians maintain their traditions around food! Would love to go to some of those small towns with you!
Chandi Wyant says
I’d love that!
Marlo says
Love! I’ve got to get to one of these sagras this year. Per forza! Brava Chandi.
Chandi Wyant says
Hope you can make it one! Taking the adorable antique steam train to one is super fun too!
Melisa R Walker says
Your article absolutely makes me ache to be in Tuscany. Someday I’ll spend a month in Florence and have you arrange visits to these enchanting towns, with lunch reservations for certain. It sounds like Fall would be the perfect time. It looks like it is still sunny and warm.
Chandi Wyant says
It is a fantastic time of year. I have been impressed each Autumn with how clear and mild the weather is. The light is great too. And then there are those sagre…. I hope you can come over soon!
Anonymous says
Yum!! Thank you for sharing, after reading all about it, it is definitely worth a visit some day!
Chandi Wyant says
Glad you enjoyed the post!
Margaret says
Your photos are very appealing and make me want to explore this area, I would love to go to the truffle festival with you as my guide!
Chandi Wyant says
It would be a pleasure to be your guide!