Terelle Chestnut Festival

A historic festival at the foot of Monte Cairo

The Terelle Chestnut Festival is one of the most deeply rooted autumn events in the province of Frosinone and the entire Lazio region. Every year in November, the tiny village, perched at an altitude of 905 metres on the slopes of Monte Cairo, comes alive for two days of festivities dedicated to the fruit that sustained its community for centuries. The 2025 edition, the 41st, took place on November 8th and 9th in Piazza Loreto Biondi, upholding a tradition that attracts visitors from all over the Ciociaria, the Comino Valley, and the Cassino area.

The 'pelosella' and the ancient chestnut grove

The absolute star of the festival is the local chestnut, known in the dialect as 'pelosella', which is particularly well-suited for roasting. According to local accounts, chestnut cultivation spread to Terelle around 1350, when land unsuitable for cereal crops led the inhabitants to focus on the chestnut tree, whose flour was used to make bread. The result is a unique heritage: a monumental chestnut grove with centuries-old trees arranged in rows, some with trunks reaching ten metres in circumference; the oldest tree is estimated to be around 800 years old.

A culinary journey: what to eat

The heart of the festival is the food and wine trail set up by the stalls in the square. Alongside the essential roasted chestnuts, served from the morning onwards and paired with new wine, the menu highlights Terelle and Ciociaria cuisine:

• chestnut flour gnocchi;
• tagliolini pasta with Terelle 'bottone' mushrooms, and tagliolini with beans;
• polenta with pork sauce and spare ribs;
• 'pecora alla terellese', the village's signature dish;
• grilled sausages, local broccoli rabe, and local cheeses;
• pork strips with chestnuts;
• chestnut desserts: log cake, tarts, doughnuts, chestnut and chocolate 'salami', and chestnut cantuccini.

Music, dancing, and craft market

The festival is about more than just food: the square hosts live music and folk dancing, while the craft and local produce market offers the perfect opportunity to take a piece of Terelle home. In recent editions, the programme has been enriched with cooking shows and workshops revealing the secrets of chestnut-based recipes, as well as meetings dedicated to the local area and sustainable tourism on the Monte Cairo massif.

Terelle, a village to discover

The festival, organised by the Municipality of Terelle in collaboration with the Pro Loco, is also an invitation to discover one of the most secluded villages in Lazio. The town developed around 1117 around the castle of Count Lando d'Aquino, of which the medieval core still survives; during the Second World War, it sheltered evacuees from neighbouring towns, earning the Silver Medal for Civil Valour. In the surrounding area, you can visit the evocative Napoleonic Cemetery, the beech forest above the village with the 'fosso della neve' — an ancient natural ice house — and the hiking trails of Monte Cairo, which offer panoramic views over the Liri Valley and the Abbey of Montecassino.