Chestnut Festival

A day of chestnuts in the heart of the Lucretili Mountains

The Chestnut Festival in Percile, located in the Metropolitan City of Rome Capital (Lazio), is the event that marks the end of the season in one of the most intimate villages of the Upper Aniene Valley. The town, home to just over a hundred permanent residents and situated at an altitude of 575 meters within the Lucretili Mountains Regional Park, fills for a day with visitors from Rome, the Sabina region, and the Aniene valley. The event is organized by the Pro Loco Percile with the patronage of the Municipality and is traditionally held on a Sunday in October, once the chestnut groves surrounding the village have finished yielding their harvest.

The taste of chestnuts, in all its forms

The heart of the festival is the kitchen. The food stalls set up in the historic center open around lunchtime, offering a menu almost entirely centered around the day's star ingredient. The dishes that have been staples on the Pro Loco tables for years include:

• Soup with chestnut flour maltagliati, the signature dish of the festival;
• Pork loin stewed with chestnuts, served with a side of wild chicory;
• Red apple and chestnut salad, a fresh and unusual combination;
• Chestnuts with dark chocolate drizzle, chili, and mint, the most indulgent treat;
• Rigatoni all'amatriciana, for those who prefer to stick to classic Lazio cuisine;
• Roasted chestnuts cooked over embers along the village streets, accompanied by wine from the Castelli and Sabina regions.

Market, crafts, and music

Alongside the culinary offerings, the day features an exhibition market of local products—honey, cheeses, preserves, flours—and an arts and crafts market with local exhibitors. In recent editions, the Pro Loco has also added The Vintage Corner, a space for vintage items and second-hand goods, with proceeds donated to charity projects. Live musical entertainment, featuring folk groups and local bands, accompanies the afternoon in the village squares.

A village worth the trip

The festival is also an opportunity to discover Percile off-season. The town preserves Palazzo Borghese, an ancient castle documented as far back as 1033 and now the municipal seat, the 16th-century church of Santa Lucia, and the church of Santa Anatolia with its frescoes. Just outside the town, you can reach the Lagustelli of Percile on foot—two small karst lakes, Fraturno and Marraone, nestled in woods of beech, turkey oak, maple, and ash. It is a two-hour walk that many visitors combine with their day at the festival. It is no coincidence that Percile has been included in the Most Beautiful Villages of Italy circuit.

A tradition that marks the year

The chestnut is just one of the festivals that pace the Percile calendar: in May, the Asparagus Festival celebrates wild asparagus; in December, the Ramiccia Festival features handmade pasta with meat sauce; while summer brings the Percile Summer and the sheep festival in August. In this cycle, the Chestnut Festival remains the most popular, as it combines forest produce, home-style cooking, and the pleasure of a slow Sunday just over an hour from the Grande Raccordo Anulare.

How to experience the day

Those arriving early can spend the morning on the trail to the Lagustelli and save lunch for the stalls, which open around 12:30 PM. The village is small and entirely walkable: it is best to leave your car in the parking areas at the entrance to the town and walk up toward Piazza Garibaldi, where the Pro Loco and the stalls are concentrated. Layered clothing is recommended: at the end of October, at an altitude of 575 meters, temperatures drop quickly after sunset.