Roast chestnuts on the Fosso in Barga

Most of the outside Halloween events were cancelled in Barga and surrounding area due to the terrible weather last night but today the traditional Festa della Castagna, the chestnut festa organised each year by AS Barga opened up for business on the Fosso just outside the main walls in Barga Vechhia.

Let’s hope that the chestnut roasting season this year is a bit more easier for the AS Barga than it has been in the past

If people remember, the weather a couple of years ago more or less destroyed any chance of lighting fires and roasting chestnuts out in the open. Everything got cancelled due to torrential rain that just kept on falling day after day.

The AS Barga set out all their equipment, fires, stoves and tables all ready for the night of Halloween but in the end, the whole evening was cancelled due to the torrential rain ( article here)  and it kept on doing just that every time they started to light their fires.

We finished that article last year by saying “Better luck next year A.S Barga.” …. by the looks of things, their luck is holding as there were large crowds today all afternoon on the Fosso.

Necci, mondine and vin brulè  on the Fosso this afternoon thanks to the sterling work of the  A.S. Barga who every year at this time set up their stall, kitchens and fires and fill the autumn air with the smell of roasting chestnuts.

As they are roasting for a large amount of people they have a different system for preparing them rather than using the more slower traditional padella – they instead use large metal cages which are turned slowly over the flames.

As the cooking comes to an end they are turned faster and faster to knock out the burnt outer skin and leave just the cooked inner ready to be bagged up and given to the waiting crowds.