The chestnut festivals around Lake Garda get under way on Friday, October 16, in San Zeno di Montagna, where the 54th Chestnut Festival and the 23rd San Zeno Marrone PDO Festival take over Piazza Schena over three weekends, until November 1. On Sunday, October 18, chestnut feasts multiply, from Monte Baldo above Malcesine to the castle of Padenghe and Castione di Brentonico. The last weekend of the month moves to the Trentino side of the lake, with Drena and Tenno. This guide was last updated on October 13 and will grow as organizers confirm further events.
San Zeno di Montagna: three weekends in Piazza Schena
The municipality of San Zeno di Montagna has split the festival into three blocks: Friday, October 16 to Sunday, October 18; Thursday, October 22 to Sunday, October 25; and Friday, October 30 to Sunday, November 1. Admission is free.
It opens on Friday, October 16, at 6.30 pm with the Marrone pavilion, which hosts the Marrone PDO market, tastings of Castanea beer and local dishes; kitchens open at 7 pm. During the festival the Marron d’Oro, a competition for producers, is held at the Hotel Bellavista. On Saturday, October 17, the “Scarpinà fra le castagne” takes place, a non-competitive walk on 5 km and 10 km routes.
Alongside the pavilions there are craft stalls, evening music and two photo exhibitions: historic images of the village’s bell ringers, and “Colori, paesaggi, castagne dei nostri luoghi” by Rita Aloisi and Gabriele Fantin. On Thursday, October 22, at 7.30 pm, the local hoteliers’ association hosts a charity dinner at the Hotel Bellavista. On Saturday, October 31, the square hosts a children’s Halloween party with Mago Pierluigi.
Throughout the festival, four restaurants in the village, Al Cacciatore, Bellavista, Costabella and Taverna Kus, offer chestnut-themed tasting menus.
What is San Zeno Marrone PDO?
The marrone chestnut became a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) under a European regulation of November 11, 2003. The production area is the Veronese side of Monte Baldo, between the lake and the Vallagarina valley, and includes parts of the municipalities of Brentino Belluno, Brenzone, Caprino Veronese, Costermano, Ferrara di Monte Baldo and San Zeno di Montagna.
The specification allows only the local variety, selected and propagated over time by the area’s chestnut growers, and sets precise limits: no more than three nuts per burr and between 50 and 120 nuts per kilogram. The skin is thin and glossy, light brown with darker streaks; the flesh is straw yellow, soft and sweet.
Sunday, October 18: Malcesine, Padenghe and Castione
In Malcesine the chestnut feast goes up the mountain: the G.A.M. alpine group hosts it in the former Guardia di Finanza barracks at Tratto Spino, on Monte Baldo, with a reduced-price cable car for participants from 8 to 10 am. Lunch is served from 12.30 pm and costs 12 euros, payable on site. Booking is compulsory by Friday, October 16, on +39 328 5411639.
On the Brescia shore, the Gruppo 1001 brings chestnuts, fritters, cakes, mulled wine and music to the castle of Padenghe, from 2 to 6 pm; in case of bad weather the event is cancelled. The same day, on the Trentino side of Monte Baldo, Castione di Brentonico holds its Chestnut Festival among the village’s lanes and old doorways.
Inland, in Bedizzole, the farm and agriturismo La Casa del Vento on Via Pontenove is open from 10 am to 6 pm for a chestnut day with roasted chestnuts, polenta taragna, a chestnut hunt for children and a visit to the alpacas. Admission is free while places last.
Drena and Tenno: the last weekend of October
Drena devotes two days to its chestnuts (“maroni”), on Saturday, October 24 and Sunday, October 25, from 10 am to about 5 pm, as part of the Garda Trentino Month of Taste. The village hosts a craft and old trades market, food, roaming music, shows and children’s workshops. By reservation, visitors can join the Cammino dei Ricci, a walk with chestnut picking at the I Maroneri estate, and a cooking workshop on dough made with marrone chestnuts.
The festival has a preview on Saturday, October 17, in Drena castle: “Delizie al castello” is a route through the halls with four dishes paired with local wines, in five sittings between 7 and 9 pm.
On Sunday, October 25, the Tenno Chestnut Festival reaches its 49th edition. It takes place in the hamlet of Pranzo, in Piazza San Leonardo, from 10 am to 5 pm, organized by the Comitato Valorizzazione Pranzo. The kitchen opens at 11.30 am with potato gnocchi and shredded cured beef, cured beef with beans and cabbage, and a sweet chestnut log cake. New this year is Brescia-style spit-roast meat with polenta, to be booked by October 22. At 2 pm the first edition of the Pranc tug of war takes place, with registration on site.
