Autumn is here, so gather around the roaring fire and enjoy the mouth-watering aroma of roasting chestnuts in the fresh air. Enjoy a taste of the season at the annual Chestnut Festival in Ascona, Canton Ticino.

Ascona Chestnut Festival

The picture-perfect lakeside town of Ascona in the Swiss canton of Ticino is spending Saturday, October 12, celebrating the ripening time of the tasty chestnut. Chestnuts cannot be harvested in Switzerland, so the farmers have to wait for the nuts to drop of their own accord and then gather them up. Hot chestnuts are a Swiss autumnal tradition and you can find them sold on the streets all over Switzerland from October to February.

At the Ascona Chestnut Festival, local experts known as maronatts tend to braziers of chestnuts roasting above the flames, and over the course of the day, around two tonnes of chestnuts will be eaten by the attending crowds!

As well as hot, fresh chestnuts, you can also enjoy browsing the themed market, which invites you to buy local, handmade products, toys and treats. The festival also features a variety of chestnut-based or chestnut-complimentary delicacies, including honey, jam, bread, and cakes.

Bands and folk singers take to the streets to ensure a lively atmosphere for all the eaters and shoppers.

Chestnuts in Switzerland

The chestnut was introduced to Switzerland by the Romans, and grows especially well south of the Alps. It quickly became a staple crop and food for the region, even to the point where it became known as the "bread tree". Chestnuts were ground to make flour and then baked into breads and cakes.

Once potatoes and maize were introduced into Switzerland in the 17th century, chestnut cultivation started to decline, and its role in the country is essentially festive nowadays. Small chestnut festivals take place in many villages south of Alps, and one Swiss tradition is to make a wish for the new season when you take your first bite of the new season's chestnuts.

Chestnuts are still used in sweet dishes, most notably vermicelles, which is a pureed chestnut mousse typically served atop a tart with meringue and cream. Vermicelles is a common dessert during the wild season (Wildsaison) in Switzerland every autumn, when game meat is served alongside red cabbage and honeyed chestnuts.

If you want to roast chestnuts yourself, carefully slit the chestnut with a sharp knife to allow them to expand, otherwise, they can explode in spectacular fashion! Then you can roast them in the oven in a wire basket or on a tray with holes on low heat, turning them often until they are ready, which usually takes around 10 minutes.

Alternatively, almost every train station and city square in Switzerland will have a stall selling hot chestnuts (Heissi Marroni). These chestnuts are expertly cooked in giant metal vats, making for a perfect peel every time.

Make your way to Ascona for the Chestnut Festival

To get to Ascona by public transport, you need to take the train to nearby Locarno. From there, buses run every 15 minutes directly to the lakeside promenade in Ascona.

The festival is free and no tickets are required. This is a great reason to enjoy the last of the autumnal weather and spend a weekend exploring the sights, sounds and tastes of Ascona and Locarno.