When the air turns crisp and autumn foliage fills the landscape with colour, San Zeno di Montagna becomes the heart of autumn in Verona, celebrating its fruit par excellence: the San Zeno DOP Marron.
From 18 October 2025, for three consecutive weekends – 18-19 October, 23-24-25-26 October, 31 October – 1-2 November – the 22nd Festa del Marrone di San Zeno DOP (San Zeno DOP Marrons Festival), which, as per tradition, is intertwined with the 53rd Festa delle Castagne (Chestnut festival), giving life to a unique event where taste, culture and craftsmanship come together in a magical atmosphere.
A town celebrating with flavours, music, markets and tradition
The beating heart of the event is the central pavilion in Piazza Schena, a beautiful elevated structure that welcomes visitors into a warm and evocative setting, surrounded by the craft and food market. Inside, there is also a large stage for live music performances.
Here you can buy and taste San Zeno PDO marrons, the real stars of the event: roasted or reinterpreted in traditional and creative dishes, always accompanied by local wines, craft beers such as the famous Castanea, cheeses, cured meats, walnuts, truffles, honey and traditional mountain desserts, including the brand new chestnut ice cream.
Not to be missed, at the rear of the pavilion, are three enormous roasters capable of producing around 120 kg of roasted chestnuts at a time.
And for those who want to enjoy the full experience, participating restaurants offer themed menus dedicated to Marrone di San Zeno DOP chestnuts and fragrant black truffles from Monte Baldo, with recipes that tell the story of the area – such as the famous chestnut minestrone. You can find all the menus on the website www.ristosanzeno.it
San Zeno PDO marrons and the Protection Consortium: everything you need to know
Guiding us on this journey through unique aromas and flavours is Stefano Bonafini, President of the San Zeno PDO Marron Protection Consortium. A fruit that has proudly borne the Protected Designation of Origin label since 2003, it grows at an altitude of between 600 and 900 metres, caressed by the mild climate of Lake Garda and the lush rains of Monte Baldo.
The San Zeno marron is distinguished by its rounded shape and smaller size compared to other chestnuts, but its sweeter flavour is surprising, thanks in part to the clayey soil of Monte Baldo, rich in minerals that enrich the fruit with precious nutrients.
Strictly organic and natural cultivation
The San Zeno marron is 100% organic: the trees are not treated with any chemicals and only require precise pruning and well-maintained, clean undergrowth to facilitate harvesting.
Harvesting is done by hand or using specialised machinery, which sucks up the husks and leaves, retaining only the fruits. The chestnuts are then sorted by size:
- 0-24 mm: third grade (discarded)
- 25-28 mm: second grade, ideal for cooking
- over 28 mm: first grade, the true San Zeno marron
After manually selecting any damaged or defective fruits, they undergo a nine-day immersion in water for sterilisation, followed by drying and packaging in nets of various weights. According to the PDO regulations, one kilogram of chestnuts must contain between 80 and 110 pieces (i.e. each kg of product must contain between 80 and 110 fruits).
Marron vs Chestnut: the differences
Although they belong to the same family, marrons and chestnuts have distinctive characteristics:
- Skin: marrons have a darker amber colour
- Striations: these are more prominent on the skin of chestnuts
- Shape: marrons are more rounded, while chestnuts are flatter
- Hilo: the hilum scar on the bottom (i.e. the whitish part) is more rounded in marrons
- Husk: the inner skin remains intact in marrons, while it tends to divide the cotyledon in half in chestnuts; moreover, in marrons it is hairier and easier to remove
- Size: similar for both, with large and small fruits
Bees play a fundamental role, pollinating the chestnut groves and also promoting the production of the prized Monte Baldo chestnut honey.
Nutritional values
Chestnuts and marrons belong to the nut family, but unlike walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds, etc., they are low in fat. They do not contain gluten, but are high in carbohydrates, mainly starch. They are rich in fibre and minerals such as potassium and phosphorus, and also contain small amounts of iron and magnesium. Finally, they have a good content of vitamins B2 and E.
How should marrons be stored?
Once purchased, they can be stored in their net for about 4-5 days, in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight.
If you want to delay eating them, simply make the typical small cut in the skin and place them in the freezer. When you want to eat them, put them in the oven at 200°C without defrosting them first, otherwise they will become damp and spoil. ‘And you can eat them even in mid-August, perfectly perfect,’ adds President Bonafini cheerfully.
The Marron D’Oro award ceremony
Every year, the various farms belonging to the Consortium compete in a contest to determine which of them has produced the best marrons of the season. This contest is held at the Taverna Kus Restaurant, behind closed doors, with a panel of experts evaluating every aspect of these precious fruits and assigning a score.
Just think, the size per kg reached 39 pieces (compared to the average of 80-110 as mentioned above), the result of a very careful selection from the best chestnut trees; “practically eggs”, jokes President Bonafini to emphasise their extraordinary nature.
With the aroma of roasted chestnuts and polenta carbonera, music filling the square and the warmth of hospitality at the local market, the Festa del Marrone di San Zeno DOP is much more than a festival: it is a journey through the flavours and colours of autumn, suspended between the mountains and Lake Garda.
Ciao dear Outdoors!
Silvia Turazza
