The chestnut
The fruit of our valley
The sweet chestnut is a very special tree: once brought to Val Bregaglia by the Romans, it found widespread use here. Its nuts ( In Bregaglia there are still four varieties of cestnut: Ensat, Marun, Lüina and Vescuv ) could be used as a staple food, as cereals grew rather sparsely in mountain regions. In addition, the chestnut can be preserved well: In Bregaglia, the fruit is traditionally dried in the "cascine", small smoking huts. In this state they can also be processed into flour.
The various preparations of chestnuts still characterise the Bregaglia cuisine today: sometimes as whole fruits or as tagliatelle in a side dish, in cakes and small pastries as a dessert or fresh from the fire as "Marroni", which characterise the autumn atmosphere everywhere in Switzerland. Today, healthy chestnuts are celebrating a revival in modern cooking: they are gluten-free and suitable for allergy sufferers, and they also contain many vitamins and minerals.
Chestnut Festival
In fall, the Bregaglia Valley celebrates the chestnut festival this year from 30 to 24 September 2023. It's a great opportunity to learn more about the chestnut: Over four weeks there will be interesting guided tours, delicious tastings and varied walks, concerts, readings and lectures about the chestnut.
Chestnut forest
Between Soglio and Castasegna there is the largest chestnut grove in Europe. In spring the trees are in blossom and exude a sweet fragrance, in summer the chestnut crowns provide shade, in autumn the forest delights us with its fruits. If you want to know more about the chestnut, follow the follow the chestnut nature trail, a 60 minute round walk from Castasegna through the Brentan.
The chestnut
In the chestnut groves of the alpine valleys you will find a mixture of different chestnut varieties. This corresponds to the original ambtion of the farming communities to obtain as many different chestnut products as possible.
Chestnut Delight
Everywhere in Bregaglia Valley you can try fine chestnut specialities: In the restaurants you can find delicious pasta, in the pasticcerie fine cakes and everywhere in the small village shops different chestnut products. If you want to try the taste of the valley from home: visit our online shop.
Didactic trail
Interpretive trail with 16 information panels, which give visitors the opportunity to learn more about the local flora and fauna, the varieties of chestnuts and how they are cultivated.
