At the beginning of November, when the air turns cooler and the woods smell of damp leaves, the village is filled with the warmth of the Chestnut Festival, a celebration of the region’s most precious fruit.
The streets come alive with music, stalls selling local products, laughter and the crackling sound of roasting chestnuts. But the most eagerly awaited moment arrives when she appears: the Signoraccia. A large, generously proportioned puppet, an ancient and mysterious creature, dancing among the people to the rhythm of folk music. You see it moving, swaying, almost breathing. It is an archaic symbol, linked to harvest rituals, fertility deities and the creative power of the earth.
And when, in the end, the Signoraccia is burned, the fire illuminates the faces of the community. It is a rite of passage, a thank you, a promise to the future.
