Castagna del Monte Amiata

Cultivated in the provinces of Grosseto and Siena, these chestnuts thrive in the rich soil of volcanic rocks and sandstone found around Mount Amiata, one of the largest Italian lava domes, located in southern Tuscany, about 20km northwest of Lago di Bolsena, a crater lake of volcanic origin.

For many years, especially in the early 1900s, the delicious Castagna del Monte Amiata nuts were the main and, often only source of food for a major part of the population and therefore known as 'the bread of the poor'.

Today, they are a true delicacy, prized all across the Mediterranean. Monte Amiata chestnuts are marketed in three varieties: Cecio, Marrone and Bastarda Rossa. These versatile nuts can be cooked, roasted, dried or ground into flour, and they're used in many local dishes such as Castagnaccio, a traditional Tuscan chestnut cake.