The Castione chestnuts
An excellence resulting from the work of many generations
The cultivation of chestnuts, highly appreciated today, is a tradition that has been handed down for centuries in the village of Castione, on the Brentonico Plateau on the slopes of Monte Baldo.
In the past, all the families in the area owned and exploited at least one plant, the production of which was also sold beyond the provincial and national borders. Today there are about 2,500 plants, some over three hundred years old, which produce large, heart-shaped, sweet-tasting and fine-grained fruits.
The collection of this chestnut, grown with natural methods, takes place directly on the plants, where expert “batitori” climb to beat the urchins with long poles and then drop them to the ground, a practice that allows you to collect all the urchins and browns in just one day. They are then gathered in a large pile, within which a fermentation process is activated, which allows the fruits to be kept longer.
From the processing of chestnuts, combined with local wines, unique recipes and products are born, such as chestnut tagliolini, chestnut beer, and, to top it off, the famous Marroncino di Castione.
Every year, in October, a great event is celebrated on the Brentonico Plateau in honor of this precious fruit. “La Festa del Marrone”, a two-day event during which you can taste many dishes that see the chestnut absolute protagonist.