Törggelefest

The Törggelefest in Montagna

The Törggelefest is the autumn festival that the village of Montagna/Montan, located in the Bassa Atesina area of the province of Bolzano (South Tyrol, Trentino-Alto Adige region), dedicates to Törggelen, an ancient South Tyrolean farming tradition. The term comes from the Latin torculum (wine press) and refers to the custom of visiting local farmsteads after the harvest to taste new wine along with seasonal produce. In Montagna, this tradition transforms into a true village festival, organized by the KFS association (Katholischer Familienverband Südtirols), which brings the community together every autumn to enjoy good food.

New wine, chestnuts, and rustic cuisine

The heart of the Törggelefest is the traditional Tyrolean snack: roasted chestnuts (the famous Keschtn), new wine, and grape must, accompanied by traditional South Tyrolean dishes such as speck, Schüttelbrot, dumplings, Schlutzkrapfen, rustic sausage with sauerkraut, and barley soup. It is an opportunity to celebrate the fruits of the harvest in a festive and social atmosphere, following a ritual that has likely been repeated in the Oltradige and Bassa Atesina wine regions since the Middle Ages.

Montagna, a village of Pinot Noir

Situated at an altitude of nearly 500 meters in a panoramic position in the Bassa Atesina/Unterland, Montagna is one of the most renowned wine-growing villages along the entire Wine Road. Its hills are famous for Pinot Noir (Blauburgunder), so much so that the Pinot Noir Trail/Blauburgunderweg passes through here—an educational path that crosses the vineyards of Mazzon, Gleno, and Pinzano on the edge of the Monte Corno/Trudner Horn Nature Park. The Törggelefest is therefore also an opportunity to discover a territory where wine, chestnuts, and autumn landscapes have been intertwined for centuries.

A community celebration

Promoted by the local branch of the KFS, the Törggelefest is part of the village's autumn calendar, alongside other Törggelen-related events proposed by associations like the Seniorenvereinigung and the AVS with their guided hikes. It is a deeply popular and family-oriented event, bringing together locals and visitors alike to enjoy the flavors and traditions of the South Tyrolean autumn.