Chestnut Festival in Soriano
The Chestnut Festival is a historical reenactment taking place in Soriano nel Cimino, in the Province of Viterbo, (Laazio) in central Italy. on September 25,26 and from October 8 to 10 and October 15 to 17, 2021. The modern version of the festival took place for the first time in 1968 and it consists of two main sections: the historical reenactment and the celebrations in honor of the chestnut, the fruit that has nourished entire rural communities for centuries.
The program of the chestnut festival is filled with interesting events:
– Food and wine tasting at Taverne dei Quattro Rioni
– Convivium Secretum ( 9th edition): a historical cooking contest between the four districts of the town, preparing Medieval and Renaissance recipes
– Ring Jousting
– Archery Tournament
– Popular traditional games
– The historical reenactment recreating the main historical events of Soriano from 1200 to 1489
– The sumptuous historical parade featuring more than 700 actors dressed up with Medieval costumes.
Tartufesta – White Truffle Festival – Apennine (Bologna)
Every year, from October 9th to November 7th 2021, in Emilia the White Truffle Festival
called “Tartufesta” celebrates one of the finest ingredients and flavors of the local cuisine in
the area of Appennino Bolognese (the mountain area around Bologna). The “Tartufesta” is taking place in several small towns and it is the opportunity to discover many nice places while celebrating the day of the White Truffle of the Colli Bolognesi. The festival will be enlivened by events: Tartulibri (books), Tartueventi (events), Tartumenù in restaurants and farms strictly observing quality guidelines on dishes preparation, Tartumercati (local marketplace) with typical products of the forest and crafts, Tartuvisite (guided tours) in
the woods and villages.
Carnival of Viareggio
The Carnival of Viareggio (Carnevale di Viareggio) is one of the most renowned carnival
celebrations in Italy and arguably in all of Europe. It is held annually in the city of Viareggio,
Tuscany. The carnival season in Viareggio begins in early February and culminates on Shrove Tuesday (Mardi Gras), the last day before Lent.
The Viareggio Carnival was officially founded in 1873. A group of wealthy middle-class
townsmen decided to organized a parade of carriages adorned with flowers in the heart of the old town. A number of local citizens saw the parade as an opportunity to protest against high taxes they were forced to pay. Protesters wore masks so that they couldn’t be recognized. The carnival parade became an annual affair. Rather soon it started to feature festively decorated floats. The first float to win the carnival float contest was named I Quattro Mori (The Four Moors), it accurately depicted the famous Monument of the Four Moors located in Livorno. Since 1925, papier-mâché has been used as the primary building material. Since 2001, all floats have been built at a special site called La Cittadella del Carnevale (the Carnival Citadel). The Citadel has a big elliptical courtyard surrounded by 16 warehouses where papier-mâché masters create their masterpieces. The complex also features the Museum of the Carnival, a historical archive, and a restaurant.
The Carnival of Viareggio is one of the most anticipated cultural events in the region. It is a
month-long affair filled with daytime and nighttime parades, parties, masked balls, firework
displays, theatrical performances, culinary events, and special events and activities for people of all ages. The festival program includes five large masked parades featuring allegoric floats, a parade a week. Each parade attracts about 200,000 spectators.
The official mascot of the Carnival of Viareggio is Burlamacco. Burlamacco is a clown-like
character inspired by the masks of the Commedia dell’arte. He was created by the Italian painter and graphic artist Uberto Bonetti who won the competition for the mascot design in 1931. Bonetti depicted Burlamacco in a futuristic way and painted his outfit in red and white because these two colors were the traditional colors of the umbrellas on local beaches.
Peperoncino “Chili” Festival – Diamante Peperoncino Festival in Diamante, province of Cosenza, part of the Calabria region of southern Italy.
This event is dedicated to the typical Chili pepper of Calabria: food, debates, and meetings
concerning His Majesty, the chili pepper. This year it is held from October 6th to 10th, 2021.
The festival was created by the journalist Enzo Monaco in 1992, the year of the 500th
anniversary of the discovery of the Americas. Diamante, a small town near Cosenza, hosts for 5 days the event dedicated to this inevitable product of the cuisine in Calabria region: the peperoncino. In this occasion, you have the possibility to know deeply the history of the Chili pepper (a vegetable coming from America) and to discover all of its 500 varieties.
Italian Chestnut Fair – Cuneo
Cuneo National Chestnut Fair is considered one of the most important food festivals in Italy as well as one the largest showcases for Piedmont products. Cuneo, or Coni, is a province in the southwest of the Piedmont region of Italy. It is in the northwest section of Italy near Milan and Turin. The event takes place from October 15 to 17, 2021. Hundreds of exhibitors spread over the historic center of Cuneo. The air will be filled with the perfume, flavor, and colors of many delicious Piedmont specialties, such as ravioli, pancakes, polenta, crepes, hamburgers, fried mushrooms, ravioles della Valle Varaita, etc.
The fair, this year arrived at its 22nd edition, has been established in Cuneo since the region
surrounding the town represents one of the main areas of chestnut production in Italy.
Cuneo’s chestnuts were so famous around the world that in United States chestnuts were called “Cuneo”. From 25,000 to 30,000 kilograms of chestnuts are eaten every year during the festival, approximately 165-200.000 bags of roasted chestnuts.
In addition to food stands, the fair offers arts and crafts, workshops, cultural activities,
exhibitions, shows and concerts.
Milano Film Festival – Milan
The 25th edition of the Milano Film Festival, also known as MFF, takes place from October
8th to 10th, 2021, at ANTEO Palazzo del Cinema, Piccolo Teatro Studio Melato, and BASE
Milano. This year’s artistic director is Oscar-winning director Gabriele Salvatores.
Founded in 1996, Milano Film Festival strives to promote independent films and support
emerging filmmakers. Created originally as a competition of local short films, over the years
MFF has become an international film festival. MFF has the task to add value to the independent cinema industry that started to have success in the 80’s with the film directors like Gabriele Salvatores himself, Silvio Soldini, Gianluca Fumagalli e Alina Marazzi.
In the first editions of the Milano Film Festival, the participation was restricted to a small group of filmmakers and friends, but by the time the festival has grown up and it became a “talent scout” showcase for that part of international cinema production which isn’t connected to business nor to the big distributors market. Since 2000 new awards’ categories have been introduced, such as the “Audience Award” and “The best feature film Award” which has led the way for this type of film and to a greater and definitive success of the festival which today has become one of the major cultural realities in Milan.
With over 100,000 participants every year, MFF is now one of the most important cultural
events in Milan. Screenings take place in different places throughout the city: squares, theatres, parks, museums, art galleries. Milano Film Festival is one of the founding members of Milano Film Network, a network that puts together the experience and resources of Milan’s seven film festivals for a cultural offering throughout the year and a series of services for people working in the Italian cinema industry.
***Special thanks to brother Mark Fini for providing this information