Autumn in Tuscany

October and November are two months full of colours and scents in Tuscany and especially in Chianti.
We work hard to make the best wine, we prepare olive trees to be harvested, the weather becomes rainy and the air wet but the sun is still shining during the day. This creates the best conditions for truffles and mushrooms growing in shaded woods and fields. Meanwhile in the higher woods (between hill and mountain height) it's raining chestnuts!
Autumn in Tuscany is magic.
Tuscan people love walking in the woods with big baskets, wearing boots and coats, looking for mushrooms and chestnuts and the most capable finding truffles, with the help of their dog.

Truffles
For truffles enthusiasts there are many events not to miss in Tuscany. First of all the Exhibition – Market of white truffle in S. Miniato, in the province of Pisa, where you can find, smell and buy truffles either in November and December.
But truffles are the main attraction of another Festival in S. Giovanni d'Asso, too. In this village, people celebrate the White Truffle of Crete Senesi, a small area in the south of the province of Siena.

Chestnuts
Chestnut starts its maturation at the end of September and we start to pick it up in October and November. We can eat this fruit in various ways. If you roast it on fire, Tuscan people call it “bruciata”, while in Italian language they say caldarrosta.
If you boil them in water (without peeling them), they are called “ballotte”; the chestnut flour has a huge use in the traditional cuisine, especially in the mountains.
You can also taste good chestnut beers in Tuscany, with a special smell and flavours.
The most famous chestnuts festivals are in Mugello, in the north of the province of Florence and near Amiata mountain, in the province of Siena.
Here are some good suggestions for a day trip:
Sagra delle castagne e del marron buono di Marradi – every Sunday of October. You can also take a steam locomotive to go there from Florence. In this festival you can taste a special IGP chestnut: il Marrone del Mugello.
Festa del fungo e della castagna in Vivo d’Orcia
Festa del marrone in Campiglia d’Orcia
Crastatone in Piancastagnaio
These three festivals are in the province of Siena, near Amiata Mountain, one of the best place for chestnuts, mushrooms and truffles in Tuscany. Here you can find green paths for wonderful walks, small villages, old traditions and everywhere the colours and flavours of Autumn dominate the view.

Mushrooms
Speaking about mushrooms the most famous considered the king in the cuisine is the Porcino mushroom (boletus). Searching for mushrooms without experience could be dangerous, because of venomous species, but you can find for sure edible species at the Festa del fungo e della castagna in Vivo d’Orcia, near Amiata mountain, that we suggest if you want to visit a typical village of woodsmen.

So if you want to discover the most wonderful and colourful season of Chianti, come here and enjoy Tuscany in Autumn!
If you stay at Sovigliano Farmholidays, in Chianti, between Florence and Siena you have the opportunity to enjoy all that!