Chestnut Festival

A village festival in the heart of Montalbano

The Chestnut Festival in Bacchereto is one of the most cherished highlights of the Tuscan autumn. Bacchereto is a small Medici hamlet in the municipality of Carmignano, in the province of Prato, nestled in the Montalbano hills at an altitude of approximately 217 meters. Here, for two weekends in October, the streets and squares of the village are filled with stalls, aromas, and visitors, in a festival that celebrates the season's most iconic fruit: the chestnut.

Forty-four editions of tradition

Founded in the early 1980s, the event reaches its 44th edition in 2026. It is organized by Polisportiva Bacchereto, the sports and cultural association that has kept the village's identity alive for decades, bringing together volunteers, families, and friends from the surrounding valleys. The festival has grown over time while maintaining the authentic spirit of a village fair, defined by shared effort, home-cooked food, and warm hospitality.

Specialties to savour

The heart of the festival is naturally the chestnut-based products, but the menu also features many local specialties:

• Chestnuts and roasted chestnuts cooked on the spot
• Castagnaccio and traditional nicci with ricotta and Nutella
• Nicce fritters and rice fritters
• Migliacci, covaccino with olive oil and pork cracklings
• Renowned local dried figs
• Vin novo (new wine) and mulled wine to accompany the desserts

In the evening, you can dine at the village kitchen and enjoy traditional Tuscan dishes: Tuscan appetizers, bread soup (minestra di pane), and polenta with mushrooms.

More than just gastronomy

The Chestnut Festival is also an opportunity to discover the village's heritage. Over the years, the programme has featured exhibitions of ancient Bacchereto majolica—a historic center for terracotta production—as well as painting and sculpture exhibitions, free guided tours of the Pieve di Santa Maria Assunta (formerly a castle), and activities for children including face painting, balloons, clowns, and magic shows.

When and where

The 2026 edition takes place over two consecutive weekends: October 17-18 and 24-25, 2026, at Via Molinaccio 7 in Bacchereto. Stalls open on Saturdays from 4:00 PM and Sundays from 3:00 PM. Admission to the event is free. It is the perfect occasion for an autumn trip into the Montalbano hills, combining good food, tradition, and the quiet beauty of a lesser-known corner of Tuscany.