Melissano Chestnut Festival

The Melissano Chestnut Festival

The Melissano Chestnut Festival is one of the most cherished autumn fairs in lower Salento. Every year in October, the town of Melissano, in the Province of Lecce, dresses up to celebrate the flavors of the cold season with a free-entry public event, organized by local associations and beloved by inhabitants of neighboring towns.

The flavors of the festival

The heart of the festival is, naturally, the roasted chestnuts, cooked on the spot and served hot in paper cones as their aroma fills the town center. Alongside the roasted chestnuts, Salento tradition brings to the table:

• grilled meat, cooked outdoors on large braziers;
• the essential pittule, the typical Salento leavened dough fritters;
• local wine, the star of the autumn toast alongside the new wine.

It is simple, rural cuisine that tells the story of the gastronomic identity of this corner of Puglia, turning an October evening into a moment of shared celebration.

An autumn tradition in Salento

The chestnut festival belongs to that great family of village fairs that dot Italy between October and November, bidding farewell to the end of the agricultural season. In Melissano, it takes on the colors and flavors typical of Salento: pittule, wine, grilled meat, and the conviviality of the squares become an opportunity to gather with friends and family in a genuine atmosphere, far from the frenzy of the summer tourist season.

Melissano and lower Salento

A small town in the Province of Lecce, Melissano is located in the hinterland of lower Salento, a short distance from the renowned Ionian coast and art cities like Gallipoli and Casarano. Visiting Melissano in autumn means discovering a more intimate and authentic Salento, made of rural traditions, good food, and Apulian hospitality, when the summer crowds have given way to the more collected dimension of the villages.

The 2026 edition

The Melissano Chestnut Festival confirms itself as a traditional appointment in the Salento autumn calendar, usually held in October. The official dates for the 2026 edition have not yet been announced: it is recommended to check the final program with the Municipality of Melissano, the Pro Loco, and local social channels as autumn approaches.