Roasted Chestnut Festival

An autumn tradition in the Monti Prenestini

The Roasted Chestnut Festival is the most anticipated autumn event in Casape, a small municipality in the Metropolitan City of Rome Capital, in the Lazio region, nestled at an altitude of about 400 meters on a tuff spur of the Monti Prenestini. For over thirty years, on the last weekend of October, the village comes alive to celebrate the chestnut, the iconic fruit of these wooded hills that turn copper-colored with the arrival of the cold season.

Roasted chestnuts, the stars of the festival

The heart of the event is the roasted chestnuts, cooked over embers in a special perforated iron pan called a caldarrostiera. Along the streets and in the main square of the historic center, braziers are lit, and the air fills with the unmistakable scent of chestnuts roasting over the fire. The chestnut of the Monti Prenestini, including the prized mosciarelle, is one of the most appreciated local products of the area.

Village flavors and mountain specialties

Alongside the roasted chestnuts, the stalls offer typical Casape products and mountain cuisine specialties: traditional peasant dishes, seasonal desserts, local extra virgin olive oil, and other chestnut-based preparations. The festival is also a traditional tasting and sales market, an opportunity to get to know the genuine flavors of this corner of Lazio up close.

• Where: Square and streets of the historic center of Casape
• When: Traditionally the last weekend of October
• What: Roasted chestnuts, typical products, mountain specialties, music, and shows

Music, shows, and village atmosphere

The program is completed by musical entertainment and shows that accompany the festival days, transforming the village into a meeting place for residents and visitors. Strolling through the medieval alleys around the Baronial Castle, with the warmth of the roasted chestnuts and background music, captures all the authenticity of village festivals.

Casape, a village between history and nature

The origins of Casape date back to the Roman era, when the agricultural center Casa Corbuli was established here; over the centuries, the village passed from the Orsini family to the Colonna and finally to the Barberini. Today, the town retains its medieval layout and a panoramic position overlooking the woods and olive groves of the Monti Prenestini. The Roasted Chestnut Festival, organized by the Pro Loco of Casape in collaboration with the Municipal Administration, is the ideal opportunity to discover this territory during the most evocative time of the year.