As with pretty much everything concerning Italy, when it comes to fall foods and traditions, it all depends on the region, area, city, or sometimes town you are considering. The weather itself can vary significantly, with the North already facing cold days and the Southerners enjoying their last swims in the sea. That said, let’s see what autumn is about.
Chestnuts, pumpkins, and truffles
Fall, especially in Central and Northern Italy, means castagne (chestnuts)—eaten boiled, roasted, or in one of hundreds of chestnut-based recipes; zucche (pumpkins), and funghi (mushrooms), which, at least in a few, very selected and very proud areas, equal tartufi (truffles). All of these products come with their own traditions and customs: castagnata (chestnut-picking outings with family or friends); a stroll in the city center to stop by a cart and eat caldarroste (roasted chestnuts); a mushroom hunting day, which normally comes with “family tricks and tips” on where to find the best porcini (porcino mushroom). These tricks and tips become almost legendary secrets when we are talking truffles. The Fiera del Tartufo d’Alba (in the beautiful hilly areas called Langhe, in Piemonte) takes place in October and November, and it’s the peak of truffles celebration, with its own International Truffle Market certified by a Commissione di Qualità. Pumpkin-related activities are a pretty recent thing; pumpkins have always been a favorite in fall recipes, but pumpkins themselves have gained a special status in the very last decades, thanks to Halloween.
Olio nuovo and vendemmia
La vendemmia (grape harvest) is one of the most distinguished fall events: from Veneto to Toscana, Emilia-Romagna, Lazio and Puglia, there’s virtually no Italian region without its vendemmia (Valle d’Aosta is well justified because it’s basically all mountains, but a few vineyards can be found even there). Celebrated by popular tales, books, and poetry, la vendemmia might be today more industrialized than before, but it’s still a culminating moment in the life of many families and marks the passage from summer to fall.
Fall is also olive-picking season and brings so-called olio nuovo (brand new oil) to enjoy on bruschette, and everywhere else!
Fall tradition, food—related or not
As you have seen, many festivals, markets, traditions, and events throughout the country celebrate or are somehow related to seasonal food and harvest. Some others are related to the weather. The ottobrata romana, for instance: families and friends gather for field trips to enjoy spending time outdoors. October is still mild around Roma, and the contrast between Northerners facing the first cold days and them enjoying city parks and the surrounding countryside makes Romans very proud. The foliage is also an opportunity for field trips and awe: from North to South, you just have the embarrassment of the riches.
Finally, a few national holidays fall in the fall: Tutti i Santi (All Saints’ Day), on November 1st, the Immacolata Concezione, on December 8th —although it’s mostly considered part of the Christmas season and has more of a winter vibe. Some other celebrations include: October 4, San Francesco d’Assisi (patron saint of Italy); November 8th is San Martino (by tradition, the end of the crop year, similarly to Thanksgiving in the US). And don’t forget Halloween, where pumpkins, spookiness, and fun meet! All in all, forget the gloomy vibe: fall is a great season to enjoy time outdoors in most of Italy, and to eat… well, that is everywhere and anytime!
By Claudia Quesito
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