Soriano Chestnut Festival Strengthens Ties with San Zeno di Montagna
The event kicks off with the Contrade Palio and concludes, a week later, with the grand historical procession; the chestnut festival of Soriano nel Cimino, a bustling town in the Viterbo province, is truly a significant celebration.
This year, among the seven hundred costumed characters parading joyfully through the medieval streets, were members of the Compagnia de la castagna dei Paladini di Cà Montagna, a confraternity founded in San Zeno di Montagna to promote the traditions and gastronomy of Monte Baldo.
“We received an extraordinary welcome, and from our side, we believe we have further strengthened the bond of friendship between San Zeno di Montagna and Soriano nel Cimino,” says the Grand Paladin of the Company, lawyer Marco Bisagno.
“With our friends from Soriano,” echoes San Zeno’s mayor, Cipriano Castellani, “there has been a collaboration for over fifteen years. They participate in our chestnut festival with the group of swordsmen and flag bearers, and we reciprocate with our visit each year.”
Twinning and Local Products
The twinning between the Baldense town and the Viterbo area is based on their shared chestnut tradition. A “common thread of the chestnut,” as expressed by the Company’s poet, Franco Ravazzin (stage name Rava), with verses composed specifically for the occasion.
The San Zeno marron aspires to obtain the European Union’s protected geographical indication (PGI) label.
Chestnuts, along with hazelnuts and walnuts, still represent the main economic activity of Soriano, primarily agricultural: the chestnut groves are maintained like gardens.
Both the Baldense marrons and the Soriano chestnuts are quality products: it was destined that the chestnut cultivation of the two towns would eventually find points of contact.
The Delegation and Gastronomic Initiatives
Welcoming the San Zeno delegation were the extraordinary commissioner of the Soriano municipality, Mario Rosario Ruffo, and his deputy Giuseppe Gaiano, along with the presidents of the Pro loco and the sagra organization, Sergio Regis and Quinto Berti, and the tireless Angelo Mascellini, organizer of the palio and driving force behind the San Zeno-Soriano twinning.
The Viterbo enogastronomic club, led by Franco Confidati, also wanted to be part of the event, organizing a traditional local products lunch for the San Zeno delegation.
And of course, the classic chickpea and chestnut soup could not be missing, pairing well with the Marroni and bean minestrone from the San Zeno di Montagna tradition.
