By Jori Diego Cherubini
On the Amiata quality products and traditional flavors.
From 18 to 27 October in Arcidosso two weekends to get to know and taste the fruits of the Amiata lands. In the Fairy Nest extraordinary gastronomic opportunities. In the cellars the tastings of Montecucco wines. And then music and shows, entertainment, dancing and markets.
Arcidosso: Castagna in Festa 2024 is dedicated to kindness and a smile: “These are two qualities that cost nothing but that make relationships beautiful. Our Gonippo and Adriano, two “rare” people who are no longer among us, despite their diversity, kind and smiling were in a very special way. The fact that they left us prematurely made us reflect on what we could learn from their lesson. We understood that it would be nice to make kindness and smile characteristic notes for those who live here and for all those who come to visit us.
The chestnut is a surprise because it has to be revealed. Outside, the bristly armor of the hedgehog, inside the tasty fruit.
We wanted to dedicate the 2024 Festival to Gonippo and Adriano, and to do so, we chose kindness and a smile as the theme of the 2024 edition of the Chestnut Acrobat Award. An award, now in its second edition, which will be awarded to the best winery.
In this edition, in the spaces dedicated to food, the “starred” direction of the councilor Ugo Quattrini and the coordination of the PGI Chestnut Association is planned. The Festival is promoted by the Municipality of Arcidosso, the Pro Loco and Centro Commerciale Naturale. Institutions and associations have been involved: the Union of Amiata Grosseto Municipalities, the Montecucco Organic District, the Consortium for the Protection of Seggiano Dop Oil, Quore Toscana, Montecucco dell’Amiata Wine Route which will present the many and varied local excellences in the extraordinary showcase of the festival within dedicated stands. A great event made possible by an organizational apparatus that involves many volunteers, expertly curated by the councilor Daniele Bechini councilor and the president of the pro loco Filippo Mazzi.
“Castagna in Festa” is now a consolidated tradition, an event now in its 38th edition. What are the main innovations of this year? We asked Ugo Quattrini, known by all as “Il Pampini”, councilor for Tourism of Arcidosso. “Our Chestnut Festival has always been an important moment also for the traditional dishes it presents – explains the councilor – but it is necessary to grow in quality and focus on the exclusivity of the offer. This year we have revolutionized the menu of the “Nido delle Fate” food stand, with the desire to tell in a more genuine and authentic way, through a beautiful variety of dishes proposed, our mountain, the Amiata, the companies and products, our culinary tradition. They will be simple dishes, prepared by the women of the village and young volunteers, but which offer a different gastronomic experience in terms of taste. There will then be, as in previous editions, the menus proposed by the Wineries. It will be a great challenge for all of us.” Can you give us some examples of dishes that will be possible to taste at the “Nido delle Fate” food stand? “We offer two types of appetizers: cheeses from the Seggiano dairy combined with a zero-kilometer jam and a platter of mixed cold cuts with finocchiona, buristo and soppressata. We believe that the festival should be a showcase for niche products and the excellence of the territory, which we already present from the appetizers. Even the first courses tell the story of the mountains: we want to introduce the typical poor dish that grandparents ate when there was poverty, or fried chestnut polenta, accompanied with ricotta and sweetbreads, a single dish that at the time was a first course, a second course and a dessert. Then the chickpea soup with spelt, mushrooms and chestnuts, potato gnocchi with Maremma ink, which is the typical pork of these areas; tortelli with chestnut filling, seasoned with a light rosé sauce. And as second courses we offer some typical dishes, revisited with new elements, such as saffron tripe, chicken thighs marinated in Montecucco, pork rinds with beans, grilled capocollo, grilled sausage with melted cheese, combined with sweet and sour cabbage, with brown sugar and balsamic vinegar; macchiaiole potatoes with parsley with extra virgin olive oil from Seggiano. The dishes will be accompanied by wines from the Montecucco Organic District led by the Collemassari company. Another product of excellence is the Olivastra Seggianese DOP oil. At “Castagna in Festa” there will also be a stand dedicated to the organic wines of the Montecucco Wine Route and one with the products of the Amiatina Chestnut Consortium».
Per maggiori informazioni invitiamo a consultare il calendario online di MyAmiata Experience:
https://myamiataexperience.com/calendario-eventi/