Italian Chestnut Season: Castagne, Marroni and Where to Eat Them

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Italian chestnut season runs from late September to early November, and it peaks in October. Italians call the nuts castagne or marroni. Towns across the Apennines and the Alps hold harvest festivals, roast the nuts on street corners and bake them into cakes. If you visit Italy in autumn, this is the food to look for.

This guide explains the difference between the two nuts, shows you where the best chestnuts grow and gives you two simple recipes to try at home. It also tells you what to eat when you visit a chestnut festival.

Why Chestnuts Matter in Italy

Chestnuts fed whole mountain villages for centuries. Wheat did not grow well on steep, cold slopes, but chestnut trees did. Families dried the nuts, ground them into flour and baked them into bread and porridge. People in the Apennines even called the chestnut tree the albero del pane, which means “bread tree”.

Wheat is now easy to buy, so chestnuts have become a treat instead of a staple. Yet the old habits survive. Every autumn, families still walk into the woods with baskets. Markets fill with sacks of nuts. Bakers and pasta makers turn chestnut flour into seasonal specialities.

Castagne vs Marroni: What Is the Difference?

Many visitors think the two words mean the same thing. They do not. The difference matters when you buy nuts at a market.

Marroni

Marroni are the premium nuts. They are larger and rounder than ordinary chestnuts. Each spiny husk usually holds one or two nuts, so each nut grows to a good size. The inner skin peels away easily, and the flesh tastes sweet. Cooks prefer marroni for roasting, boiling and candying.

Castagne

Castagne are the everyday chestnuts. A husk often holds three small nuts, and these nuts have a flatter side. The inner skin sticks to the flesh, so peeling takes longer. Castagne taste good, but cooks usually dry them and grind them into flour.

Here is a simple rule. Buy marroni to roast and eat from the shell. Buy castagne, or chestnut flour, for baking.

Where the Best Italian Chestnuts Grow

Italy protects several chestnut areas with European quality labels. A label tells you the nuts come from a named area and meet set rules. Look for these names at markets and in shops.

• Marrone del Mugello IGP grows in the Mugello hills north-east of Florence in Tuscany. The nuts are large and sweet.
• Marrone di Caprese Michelangelo DOP comes from the Tuscan town of Caprese Michelangelo, the birthplace of the artist.
• Castagna del Monte Amiata IGP grows on the slopes of Monte Amiata in southern Tuscany.
• Marrone di Castel del Rio IGP comes from the hills of Emilia-Romagna, south-east of Bologna.
• Castagna di Montella IGP grows near Avellino in Campania, in the south.

Tuscany, Piedmont, Emilia-Romagna, Lazio and Campania all grow chestnuts. In truth, you will find them on most wooded Apennine hillsides. If you plan a trip around the harvest, pick a hill town in one of these regions and stay for a weekend.

What to Eat During Italian Chestnut Season

Caldarroste: Roasted Chestnuts

Caldarroste are the classic autumn snack. Vendors roast the nuts over charcoal in a pan with holes and sell them in paper cones. You will smell them before you see them. Peel the shell while the nut is still hot, because the skin grips harder as it cools.

Castagnaccio: Tuscan Chestnut Cake

Castagnaccio is a flat, dense cake made from chestnut flour, water and olive oil. Bakers top it with pine nuts, raisins and rosemary. It has no sugar and no flour from wheat, so it tastes earthy and slightly bitter-sweet. Many Tuscan cafes and bakeries sell it in October.

Necci: Chestnut Flour Pancakes

Necci come from the Tuscan Apennines. Cooks pour a thin batter of chestnut flour and water between hot stone or terracotta discs. The result is a soft, thin pancake. Locals fill necci with fresh ricotta or sweet spreads.

Other Chestnut Dishes

Chestnut flour also appears in fresh pasta, gnocchi, soups and honey. Cooks stuff pasta with chestnut and pair it with mushrooms. Chestnut honey has a dark colour and a strong, slightly bitter taste, which goes well with strong cheese. Autumn menus often put chestnuts next to wild mushrooms. If you also love foraged flavours, read our guide to Italian truffle season.

How to Roast Chestnuts at Home

You do not need a charcoal stove. A normal oven works well. Start with fresh, heavy nuts that feel firm. Avoid any nut that rattles inside its shell, because it has dried out.

Ingredients: 500 g fresh marroni or large chestnuts, a pinch of coarse salt (optional).

1. Heat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan). Rinse the nuts and dry them.
2. Cut a deep slit through the shell on the flat side of each nut. This step stops the nuts from bursting.
3. Spread the nuts on a baking tray in one layer, with the slit side up.
4. Roast for 20 to 30 minutes. The shells will curl open at the slit.
5. Wrap the hot nuts in a clean tea towel for five minutes. The steam loosens the inner skin.
6. Peel while warm and eat straight away.

Simple Castagnaccio Recipe

This recipe makes one cake for about eight people. Chestnut flour lumps easily, so sift it first.

Ingredients: 300 g chestnut flour, 400 to 450 ml cold water, 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil plus a little for the tin, 50 g pine nuts, 50 g raisins, 1 sprig of rosemary, a pinch of salt.

1. Soak the raisins in warm water for 15 minutes. Drain them.
2. Heat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan). Oil a 28 cm round tin.
3. Sift the flour into a bowl. Add the salt. Pour in the water slowly and whisk until the batter is smooth. It should look like thin double cream.
4. Stir in 2 tablespoons of the oil, half the pine nuts and half the raisins.
5. Pour the batter into the tin. Scatter the rest of the pine nuts and raisins on top, add the rosemary leaves and drizzle with the last tablespoon of oil.
6. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes. The top should crack and look dry.
7. Cool in the tin and cut into wedges.

Serve it plain, or add a spoon of fresh ricotta. Some cooks pair it with a glass of sweet wine.

Chestnut Festivals and Where to Go

Italians call a local food festival a sagra. Chestnut sagre take place in towns and villages on October weekends. Marradi in Tuscany and Soriano nel Cimino in Lazio are two well-known examples. Stalls sell roasted nuts, flour, honey and cakes, and local cooks serve hot dishes at long tables.

Dates change each year, so check the town’s tourist office page before you book. Small village sagre often run only on one weekend. Arrive hungry, bring cash for small stalls and expect crowds at midday.

Want a hill-country base for an autumn trip? Our guide to Abruzzo shows you a region of mountain villages and hearty food. You can also read about Italian coffee culture for the best way to end a sagra meal.

Tips for Buying and Storing Chestnuts

• Pick nuts that feel heavy and have glossy, tight shells.
• Skip any nut with a tiny hole. A grub has probably eaten the inside.
• Keep fresh chestnuts in the fridge in a paper bag. Use them within a week, because they dry out fast.
• Store chestnut flour in a sealed jar in a cool place. It goes stale quicker than wheat flour.
• Never eat horse chestnuts (ippocastano). They look similar but cause illness. Buy from a shop or market vendor, and only forage with an expert.

Frequently Asked Questions

When is Italian chestnut season?

Italian chestnut season runs from late September to early November. October is the peak month, when most festivals take place.

What is the difference between castagne and marroni?

Marroni are larger, sweeter nuts that peel easily. Castagne are smaller, often grow three to a husk and suit drying and milling into flour.

How do Italians eat chestnuts?

Italians roast them as caldarroste, boil them or grind them into flour for cakes, pancakes and pasta. Many also add them to autumn soups and stuffings.

Where can you try the best chestnuts in Italy?

Tuscany is a strong choice, especially the Mugello and Monte Amiata areas. Emilia-Romagna, Piedmont, Lazio and Campania also run well-known chestnut festivals.

You Might Also Enjoy

• Italian Truffle Season: Where and When to Hunt for Truffles in Italy
• Italian Gelato Guide: Flavours, Regions and Where to Find the Best
• Abruzzo Italy Travel Guide: What to See, Do and Eat in This Hidden Region

Plan Your Italy Trip

Ready to build an autumn trip around Italy’s food? Start with our Ultimate Italy Travel Guide for regions, routes and planning tips.

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