Marcetelli Red Chestnut Festival

A mountain festival in the smallest village in Lazio

Marcetelli is a truly tiny village: with fewer than a hundred residents, it is perched on a rocky outcrop between the Carseolani Mountains and Lake Salto, in the heart of the Cicolano area. It is the least populous municipality in the Lazio region, yet once a year, at the beginning of November, its streets fill with visitors arriving from Rieti, Rome, and nearby Abruzzo. The reason is the Red Chestnut Festival, organized by the Pro Loco Marcetelli APS tourist association, which reached its 46th edition in 2025.

The Cicolano red chestnut

The star of the show is a native variety that grows in the chestnut groves surrounding the village, within the perimeter of the Monti Navegna and Cervia Regional Nature Reserve. The red chestnut is recognizable by its thin skin and warm color, and is appreciated for its intense, sweet flavor and nutritional qualities. For generations, it has been much more than a seasonal fruit: the harvesting and drying of chestnuts represented a decisive economic resource for the entire mountain area, back when mountain farming and shepherding defined life in the Cicolano.

What to eat

The heart of the day is the table. Under a large covered stand capable of seating hundreds of people, the Pro Loco serves traditional Reatine dishes where the chestnut is featured as an ingredient or accompaniment:

• Maltagliati with porcini mushrooms, foraged in the local woods
• Gnocchetti and beans, a humble dish of the Cicolano mountains
• Veal morsels with chestnuts, the festival's signature recipe
• Fried pizza and arrosticini (grilled lamb skewers)
• Chestnut gelato, desserts, and chestnut liqueur
• Complimentary roasted chestnuts and local wine

Alongside the food stalls, you will find vendors selling fresh chestnuts directly from the producers, as well as displays of local crafts and products.

Beyond the food: the village and the woods

The festival is also the best time of the year to discover Marcetelli. The historic center, very small and well-preserved, can be explored in a short walk; a popular stop is the «La Bottega del Cerchiaro» museum, dedicated to the traditional craft of barrel-making, one of the village's historical trades. During the busiest editions, a shuttle service is organized to reach the village comfortably and for guided tours.

Around the village, the trails of the Monti Navegna and Cervia Nature Reserve offer easy walks through chestnut and beech forests in the midst of autumn foliage, with views over Lake Salto. For many visitors, the day is split in two: a hike in the morning, followed by lunch and music in the afternoon.

A staple of the Rieti calendar

The Red Chestnut Festival is traditionally held on November 1st, taking advantage of the All Saints' Day long weekend, and is one of the best-known autumn events in the province of Rieti, alongside other chestnut festivals in Lazio. The event has only been interrupted once: in 2023, the edition was canceled due to a bereavement that affected the community, before resuming regularly in 2024 and 2025. For a village of this size, managing to organize an event capable of attracting hundreds of people for over forty years is a significant collective achievement.