In October days are getting colder and sun sets early. In the streets of downtown a strong smell, sweet and a bit burnt, and by small braziers at the crossroads of the roads are raised clouds of smoke that mix the autumn mist. The seller most picturesque in front of one of these braziers invites passers-by with chants at regular intervals “mondinee… mondine calde!” It’s time of chestnuts… of meetings at the fireplace to get one’s own hands dirty in the peeling…
Chestnuts are rich in nutrients and easy to digest. Until a few decades ago was an essential food for the peopleof the mountain.
The artisanal work to dry chestnuts to obtain flour takes a long time, and it is a very unifying moment for the whole country. After the harvest, which takes place at the end of October, they are “loaded” the metati, small stone building with a timber-framed furniture placed at mid-height resting on beams and accessible, thanks to the slope of the ground in the woods, from the two floors. From the top floor through a door from which one can bring chestnuts, and from the ground floor, wherethe fire is set up in the center of the room and must burn continuously day and night. During this time they were all committed to the metato set up and monitor the drying process. In smaller villages, at one time, there was only a common one where they were all gathered the chestnuts. Around the room, behind the walls, a row of benches hosted every night all the inhabitants of the village, who gathered there in the warm, telling anecdotes, stories and legends …
Many of these are based upon the evil bewitch, nocturnal creatures that inhabit the mountains, moving in the shadow of the imposing chestnut woods, scaring the inhabitants of the villages.
One of those tells that one night of many years ago, near a metato in Campaiana, in the municipality of Castiglione di Garfagnana, some men were beating the chestnuts on an old stump, when they saw on the Pania of Corfino littles lights that wandered up and down, from here and there, as if phosphorescent anthill had invaded the mountain. One of the men, so as a joke, broke the silence of the forest and loudly shouted, “come on and help us instead of standing there doing nothing.”
Soon after, a man came out of the darkness and offered to help. Only filled a lot of chestnuts and then disappeared into the darkness as he had come. The next day, when the three men loaded the bales of chestnuts on the mule, they found that in one of them the chestnuts were all burned. On the cloth in the shape, it was imprinted a blackened hand. *
For a real taste of these fruits, just where they grow and are harvested, we recommend a number of festivals that will take place between October and November in the mountain villages of the Garfagnana and the hills around us.
EVENTS:
the first three weekends of October in Camaiore “festival mondina and fried quartuccio >”
October 5 in Metello, Castelnuovo Garfagnana” chestnut in Metello ”
on 4 and 5 October in Trassilico, Gallicano”chestnut festival”
October 5 in San Romano in Garfagnana “ fair Chestnut ”
October 12 in Castiglione di Garfagnana “fair in October”
October 12 in Molazzana “castagnata in the square”
October 12 in Convalle, Pescaglia ” the chestnut and its flavors”
on 18-19 October in Careggine “Apuan fall”
October 19 in Colognora, Pescaglia “mondine in the ancient village and crafts street”
October 19 in Sillano “the chestnut mushroom and pork”
October 19 in Pieve Fosciana “Autumn festival”
October 19 in Lucchio, Bagni di Lucca “chestnuts festival”
October 19 in Bolognana, Gallicano “chestnut festival”
October 26 in Gallicano “mondinata of the Alpini”
October 26 in Pontecosi, Pieve Fosciana “chestnut on the lakeside”
October 26 at Montalfonso Castelnuovo di Garfagnana, “chestnut festuival CAI”
November 9 in Lupinaia, Fosciandora “chestnut festival”
November 9 in Sillicano, Camporgiano “chestnut festival”
December 7 in Castelnuovo di Garfagnana “town of Chestnut”
(* “Stories and legends of the mountain of Lucca” P.Fantozzi)