Marradi’s specialty chestnut festival, a short trip from Florence
By Kristin Hsi (Syracuse University)
MARRADI, Italy — As summer heat gives way to yellow leaves, Tuscany enters its autumn harvest season. Located in central Italy’s hills, the region has cultivated seasonal staples such as grapes, olives, fruit and grain since Ancient Rome. During the cooling months of September to November, agricultural towns celebrate this labor and heritage with Tuscany’s iconic harvest festivals.
A couple of hours by train northeast of Florence lies the town of Marradi, home to the Marradi Chestnut Festival, now known as the Marron Buono di Marradi Exhibition Market. With a woodsy landscape more like a small mountain village than a town, Marradi hosts the fair-like market in its historic center along the Lamone River every October. The event is managed by Associazione Turistica Pro Loco Marradi, with support from the local municipality and a community of university students, and showcases the town’s traditional crop through chestnut-themed exhibition walkways, fair rides, and art.
Stands sell the Marrone del Mugello IGP by the kilo. Known for being naturally crisp and sweet, the chestnut draws visitors from across Italy and as far away as Denmark, Switzerland and Germany, who come to taste freshly roasted chestnuts and meats. They leave with artisan trinkets, lavender sachets, sweet wines, jams and, of course, bags of fresh marroni to roast through the winter back home.