Chestnut Festival of Riofreddo

An autumn festival in the heart of the Aniene Valley

The Chestnut Festival of Riofreddo is one of the most keenly awaited autumn events of the upper Aniene Valley, in the municipality of Riofreddo, at the north-eastern tip of the Metropolitan City of Rome, in Lazio. The village, with just over seven hundred inhabitants some 70 kilometres from Rome, lies close to the border with Abruzzo, in a land of chestnut woods that for centuries were a vital food resource for the mountain communities of Lazio.

Organised by the Pro Loco Association of Riofreddo, the festival is traditionally held in the first days of November, between All Saints' Day and the following weekend, and in 2025 it reached its 41st edition, with the stalls opening on 1 and 2 November.

The food walk

The formula that made the event famous is the food walk: not a single festival area, but a route running through the alleys and little squares of the old village, with cooking stations spread along the way. Visitors buy the menu and then enjoy it stop after stop, discovering corners of the old town that would otherwise stay off the usual routes.

The full menu, offered in recent years at 18 euros, includes bruschetta, polenta with meat sauce (or, as an alternative, fettuccine with mushrooms), grilled sausage and skewers, bread, a drink, dessert and of course the roasted chestnuts, true stars of the day. A children's menu at 5 euros is also available. The stalls open around midday on both days.

Shows, music and games

Alongside the food, the Pro Loco builds a programme of widespread entertainment every year, free for everyone present:

• street performers and circus acts among the village alleys;
• roving bands and live music along the food route;
• games and activities for children in the little squares of the centre;
• free access to the "Le Pacetta" wood to gather chestnuts;
• opening of the Villa Garibaldi museum complex, home to the Museum of Cultures.

The village and its land

Riofreddo preserves a compact medieval layout around the castle and the parish church, with its celebrated fifteenth-century frescoed chapel. The village belongs to the network of Aniene Valley municipalities promoted by Visit Val d'Aniene, an area that in recent years has firmly embraced slow tourism, walking trails and mountain food products: chestnuts, mushrooms, cheeses and cured meats.

The festival is a chance to discover this land away from the mass circuits: the day lends itself to being paired with a walk through the surrounding chestnut groves or a visit to the other villages of the valley, from Arsoli to Vallinfreda, from Vivaro Romano to Roviano.

A community event

The event is born and lives thanks to the volunteer work of the Pro Loco, joined in recent years by other associations of the area such as the Pro Loco of Civita di Oricola, the TNT Youth Community of Arsoli and the Riofreddo Senior Centre. It is this community dimension, even more than the food appeal, that explains the affection with which the festival is awaited: in past years the days ended with the stalls sold out by early afternoon.

Those who want to take part would do well to arrive early, both to find a spot along the route and to enjoy the village in the best light of the Apennine autumn.