THE CHESTNUT FESTIVAL in Rocca di Papa (Italy)
Every year towards the end of October, in the ancient part of the town of Rocca di Papa in the province of Rome, an ancient festival takes place that honors the chestnuts, more precisely "rocchicianella", the smaller and sweeter local chestnut, cooked on the grill.
For three days the streets are filled with stalls of all kinds, full of typical and delicious food accompanied by small stages scattered around the streets, where bands of all kinds perform with their songs rock, folk, punk and much more cheering the streets of a unique musical mix.
I miss those crowds, that slow jovial chaos that reigned along the streets, unfortunately last October did not take place due to lockdown, and I must say that I missed it.
Where I come from, the local gastronomic specialties are a strong and solid point of the Roman tradition, times change but the traditional smoked scamorza on the grill remain identical for example.
Or the wild boar skewers always on the grill and any other handcrafted product that can be obtained from this animal.
It is difficult to retrace the steps that led to the birth of this festival which has become, over time, one of the most important festivals in the area. It can only be done by abandoning oneself to the memories, testimonies and stories that are handed down to us and repeated in the evenings in bars or in front of a glass of wine by those who, fortunately, have directly experienced that fervent season and shared ideas impulses, commitment, expectations, discussions, laughter, anger with the final intention of creating something that would characterize Rocca di Papa, its people, its peculiarities and which, above all, would leave a tangible mark over time.
Every year I come back as a child and I find myself immersed in the colors of hundreds of stalls that illuminate the streets with all kinds of colors, while the music dances and the smells almost embrace me.
If I then turn and look towards the horizon, still finding myself at a discreet height of 700 meters, I can see a fabulous landscape that extends far beyond the sea.
Observing that show reminds me how much heat there is in my motherland, maybe it doesn't always show it, but sometimes if you go up to 700 meters high and turn around, something happens.
Machine Used | Canon EOS 6D | 24-105L f4 |
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