Do you love chestnuts and also enjoy outdoor walks in a breathtaking setting? Nothing could be easier than harvesting these delicious fruits on Mount Etna in autumn. Our great volcano is transformed during this season. Fascinating colors fill the countryside, and the many chestnut groves that grow on every side of the mountain offer their fruits to everyone. But be careful! While the volcano is very generous, landowners are not! Many chestnut groves are fenced, and it’s forbidden to enter to go harvesting. However, it’s not forbidden to collect those chestnuts that fall outside the fence, on roadsides, or in public areas.
Where to harvest chestnuts
Chestnut groves are practically everywhere on Etna. The largest and most beautiful are on the eastern and northern flanks, but you also find them on the other slopes. As mentioned, climbing over walls and fences on private property is prohibited, but you can safely collect fallen chestnuts along the way… for example, between Milo and Sant’Alfio, particularly in the “Magazzeni” neighbourhood.
Splendid free-enter chestnut groves are located (on the north side) at Punto Base 16 Pietracannone, along the Trofa trail, or “Parrini” (priests’ trail, so named after a former parish refuge). On the south side, you can collect chestnuts at Piano del Vescovo or immerse yourself in the beauty of the chestnut groves in Nicolosi and Belpasso (Manfré refuge). To the east, however, it’s definitely worth going for chestnuts at Piano Bello.
It may seem strange, but some of the most beautiful and plumpest chestnuts can be freely collected in the Milo municipal public park!
How to collect chestnuts
With your hands? Of course! But if they’re still enclosed in their shells, you’ll need long, sturdy objects to break or open the burr (perhaps round-tipped knives, scissors, wooden sticks, or twigs). If you want to collect the prickly burrs directly, equip yourself with thick gloves or tongs. Never forget your bags! They must be thick and roomy. Avoid compostable shopping bags, which will break before they reach their destination due to the humidity and burr spines.
How to eat Etna chestnuts?
What will you do with your harvest of Etna chestnuts? If you like them raw and have the patience to peel them, you can enjoy them right away, even on the spot. Otherwise, you can toast them on a brazier or in a perforated pan, at home or at picnic spots scattered around the volcano. The delicious roasted chestnuts obtained this way have a unique flavor!
If you like elaborate creations, once you get home, you can grind chestnut pulp into flour after drying it; or you can boil it and then turn it into a cream, dessert, or jam! With chestnuts, whether floured or whole, you can make delicious cookies and cakes.
And… what if you don’t want to eat them?
Chestnuts, their husks, and their leaves are also excellent decorative materials if you like to spruce up your home for autumn. If you’re a teacher and want to have your students create art projects to celebrate the season, you can use chestnut leaves and branches—and the peels—to create imaginative designs and decorations. Even chestnut husks, if treated with the right care, can become art (SEE SOME EXAMPLES HERE ).
ALL PHOTOS BY G. MUSUMECI