Montelanico Chestnut Festival

One of the longest-running festivals in Lazio

The Montelanico Chestnut Festival is much more than just a food event: it is the autumn ritual through which an entire village celebrates the fruit that sustained its economy and diet for generations. Founded in 1962, the event has been held without interruption for over sixty years, a record that makes it one of the most established historical festivals in the entire region. It is traditionally held over the weekends of October, when the chestnut groves surrounding the village are at the peak of the harvest.

Montelanico, the chestnut village in the Lepini Mountains

The Municipality of Montelanico is located in the heart of the Lepini Mountains, in the province of Rome (Metropolitan City of Rome), Lazio Region, a short distance from Carpineto Romano, Segni, and Colleferro. It is a village of ancient medieval origin, with narrow alleys, stairways, and views that open onto the Sacco Valley. The chestnut forests covering its slopes are not merely a backdrop: they are the very reason for the festival, and their cultivation remains an economic and identity-defining activity for many local families.

What to eat

The culinary program naturally revolves around the chestnut, prepared in every form that Lazio's peasant cuisine has been able to invent. During the festival, the historic center is filled with stalls and braziers, while the village's restaurants and pizzerias offer special menus dedicated to the fruit of autumn.

• Roasted chestnuts prepared on the spot on outdoor braziers, the symbol of the festival
• Chestnut desserts and traditional baked goods
• First courses and typical dishes based on chestnut flour and forest products
• Typical Lepini products: wine, olive oil, cheeses, cured meats, and preserves
• The characteristic wooden huts and wine cellars set up along the village streets

Music, dance, and exhibitions

Alongside the stalls, the festival offers an entertainment program for all ages: folk music performances, traditional dances, live shows in the squares, exhibitions, and guided tours of the historic center. Families are well catered for, with activities designed for children. The Pro Loco also includes other cultural initiatives in its calendar, such as the Il Riccio d'Oro extemporaneous painting competition, which has become an event in its own right over the years.

A community heritage

The event is organized by the Pro Loco Montelanico with the support of the Municipality, and is the result of the volunteer work of dozens of people. The municipal administration describes it as an intangible heritage to be preserved: an occasion where those who have emigrated return to the village, generations reunite, and visitors discover a corner of Lazio that remains far from mass tourism circuits.

Why it's worth the trip

Those arriving in Montelanico in October will find an entire village mobilized, without the commercial veneer of certain large events. It is the ideal opportunity to combine the festival with a walk in the chestnut groves, a hike in the Lepini Mountains, or a visit to the archaeological sites of Segni, with its famous cyclopean walls, and the industrial heritage of Colleferro. A day that tells the story of the most authentic Lazio, that of mountain villages and traditions kept alive with tenacity.