Le Piastre Sweet Polenta Festival

A tradition scented with chestnuts

The Sweet Polenta Festival is one of the most deeply rooted events in the Pistoia Mountains. It takes place in Le Piastre, a small village in the Municipality of Pistoia, in the province of Pistoia (Tuscany), and revolves around a simple, iconic dish: sweet polenta, prepared with chestnut flour, which has been the bread of these Apennine mountains for centuries.

The origins: the Grand Duke and the polenta of 1769

The history of the festival is linked to an episode from 1769: according to tradition, the inhabitants of Le Piastre welcomed Grand Duke Leopold of Tuscany late at night, offering him this simple and honest food, the sweet chestnut polenta. From that encounter, a collective memory was born that the community still celebrates today: in 2026, the event reached 256 years of history, confirming its status as one of the oldest festivals in the region.

What to eat

The heart of the festival is naturally gastronomic. In the church square, you can taste the specialties of mountain peasant cuisine:

• Sweet polenta made from chestnut flour, the festival's signature dish;
• Necci, the thin chestnut flour wafers typical of the Apennines;
• Fritters, delicious and fragrant, also made with chestnut flour.

All these preparations are born from the same raw material, the chestnut, the undisputed queen of this corner of Tuscany.

A carnival celebration for the whole community

The festival is part of the carnival celebrations of the Pistoia Mountains and is accompanied by the Children's Carnival, which brings the square to life with masks and joy. It is an event designed for families and anyone wanting to discover an authentic village and its flavors, far from mass tourism circuits.

Organization

The event is organized by the Pro Loco Le Piastre, which keeps this tradition alive every year and manages the setup of the festival in the church square, in the center of the village.