Partenio Chestnut Festival

A festival born around the Partenio chestnut

Arpaise is a small municipality of just over seven hundred inhabitants in the province of Benevento, Campania. It sits at an altitude of 410 meters on the southern border of the Sannio region, where the Benevento territory meets the Irpinia area at the foot of the Partenio massif. Here, chestnut groves are not just a scenic detail but the backbone of the local rural economy. Local families have been harvesting, drying, and processing chestnuts for generations; the Terranova hamlet is particularly famous for its "castagne del prete" (priest's chestnuts), produced between October and November. The Partenio Chestnut Festival was born from this tradition, bringing it to the streets every autumn, reaching its 29th edition in 2025.

The stage: Contrada Russi

The festival does not take place in the town center but in Contrada Russi, a rural hamlet of Arpaise surrounded by chestnut groves and overlooking the valley. This choice gives the event its unique character: stalls line the narrow streets, tables are set up outdoors, and the festive atmosphere is best enjoyed while walking, amidst the smoke of the stoves and the crisp air of October evenings. The result is an intimate, village-scale festival where the distance between the cook and the diner is virtually non-existent.

The Partenio chestnut and its Promotional Committee

The star of the show is the Partenio chestnut, grown on the slopes between Sannio and Irpinia. It is the subject of a valorization project led by the Partenio IGP Chestnut Promotional Committee, which supports the event alongside UNPLI, the National Union of Pro Loco of Italy. Bringing the chestnut to the table in all its forms is more than just a culinary pretext; it is how a small community defends its identity and the agricultural landscape that sustains it.

What to eat

The menu is built entirely around the chestnut, featured from appetizers to desserts. In the 2025 edition, the full lunch included mixed pasta with mushrooms, chestnuts, cherry tomatoes, and "poverello" beans; chicken in a prosciutto crust with crushed chestnuts; mountain herb potatoes; and a chestnut mousse tart, with water or wine included. Alongside the sit-down menu, the street stalls offer a more informal selection:

• roasted chestnuts and freshly shelled boiled chestnuts;
• chestnut and bean soup, the signature dish of Partenio autumn cuisine;
• bruschetta, stuffed peppers, and grilled vegetables;
• platters of local cured meats and cheeses;
• sausage sandwiches and burgers for those looking for a quick bite;
• chestnut desserts and fresh Partenio chestnuts to take home.

Folk music, fire, and street performers

The soundtrack of the festival is rooted in the Campanian tradition. In the 2025 edition, Saturday night was enlivened by the roaming music of the Paranza Madonna di Bagni, a tammurriata group that performed among the crowd, while the artist Sharon presented a fire and aerial silks show. On Sunday, during lunch, the rhythm was provided by Barabba Blues. To complete the picture, craft exhibitions and street performances are scattered along the stall route.

A machine run by volunteers and students

Behind the event is the Pro Loco "Generoso Papa" APS, led by president Walter Mazzone, with the patronage of the Municipality of Arpaise and Mayor Vincenzo Forni Rossi. A distinctive feature of the festival is the collaboration with the IIS "Aldo Moro" of Montesarchio: students from the hospitality program, supported by their teachers, manage the kitchen and service as part of a work-study program, turning the festival into an open-air classroom. The Rummo pasta factory is among the event's supporters, which in 2025 attracted thousands of people to Contrada Russi from neighboring towns, the rest of Campania, and even abroad, including emigrants of Arpaisan origin returning for the occasion.

When it takes place

The festival traditionally falls on a weekend in October, during the peak of the harvest: October 12-13 for the 28th edition in 2024, and October 11-12 for the 29th in 2025, with doors opening on Saturday at 7:00 PM and lunch on Sunday from 1:00 PM by reservation. For 2026, the 30th edition has not yet been officially announced: it is advisable to keep an eye on the Pro Loco channels and the Arpaise municipal website in the preceding weeks.