Valsugana chestnut cultivation

Chestnut cultivation is a practice centered on the cultivation of the chestnut tree: a plant that has always been exploited both for its fruit and for its precious wood, particularly in the production of charcoal. 

In Valsugana, in the municipalities of Roncegno and Ronchi Valsugana, there is the so-called "Marrone di Roncegno", the only variety from Valsugana cultivated for food purposes due to its important nutritional properties.

The chestnut has always been used in different ways, as a fruit to be eaten dried or cooked, or to be transformed, once dried, into flour. In Trentino, chestnut growing has long been an activity supplementing families' income and their daily diet. In the province of Trento, chestnut cultivation was strongly encouraged during the Habsburg period. In particular, in Valsugana the custom of giving a chestnut tree to the nursery schools of the towns for each pupil present can be traced back to Empress Maria Teresa of Habsburg. The custom was part of a social context in which nutrition was poor and the diet was not very varied.

From then, until the 1960s, the wood and fruit of the chestnut were precious resources that allowed peasant families to supplement their income. 


Discover the Roncegno Terme Chestnut Festival!