Raggiolo Castagnatura Festival

The Castagnatura Festival: The autumnal soul of Raggiolo

Clinging to the slopes of the Pratomagno in the heart of the Casentino, the medieval village of Raggiolo — a hamlet of the municipality of Ortignano Raggiolo in the province of Arezzo, Tuscany — dedicates every autumn to the fruit that ensured its survival for centuries: the chestnut. The Castagnatura Festival evokes the long period of harvesting and drying that once defined village life, transforming an ancient necessity into a day of memory, flavors, and community.

What was the castagnatura?

In the Casentino mountains, chestnuts were a fundamental food source. The castagnatura was the season of harvesting and drying, lasting about two and a half months starting in October: first the manual harvest, then the busca — the right to freely collect the fruits left on the ground — and finally the slow drying in the seccatoi (drying sheds), where the inhabitants would gather for nightly vigils. From these fruits, they made the flour used to prepare polenta and desserts, the staple of their winter diet.

Between re-enactments, flavors, and traditions

Organized by the Brigata di Raggiolo together with the Municipality of Ortignano Raggiolo and the Casentino EcoMuseum, the event offers a program for all ages:

• Guided tours of the village with demonstrations of chestnut processing;
• Opening of the Chestnut EcoMuseum and demonstrations of threshing and polenta preparation;
• Tastings of local products: baldino, polenta, desserts, and chestnut flour crepes;
• Artisan market and stalls featuring local Raggiolo flavors;
• Music, folk dancing, storytelling, and readings in the most evocative corners of the village;
• Creative workshops and activities for children, from juggling to pony rides.

A heartwarming autumn finale

Among the most cherished moments at sunset is the lighting of the log in the square and the evocative re-enactment of the Time of the vigil in the drying shed, which transports visitors back to the atmosphere of nights long ago, when families gathered by the fire while the chestnuts dried slowly. An authentic festival, far from the main tourist flows, that tells the truest story of the Tuscan mountain identity.