As far back as the days of the Roman Empire, autumn has been a time for the expression of gratitude. Now is the time of year when the earth yields most of its bounty after months of patient cultivation, and just in time to provide the food that, for millennia, was necessary to get through the winter: wheat, chestnuts, olives that can be pressed into oil, nuts, and beans, fruits, and mushrooms that can be preserved if stewed or dried. Also meats from livestock or from the summer abundance of wild boar, deer, and rabbit.
Of course, in the age of supermarkets and international trade, it is no longer necessary to gather and preserve food in the fall to survive through the winter. Nonetheless, here in Tuscany, and throughout Italy, this season of gratitude for the bounty that becomes available from mid-October through mid-November is still celebrated to this day. These celebrations are in the form of Sagre, literally “consecrations,” that take place in or near almost every rural village and town. While the word sagra (the singular of the plural sagre) is sometimes used to describe the consecration of a church, it is used most commonly today to describe harvest celebrations, which originally focused on the blessing of the harvest by the clergy. While the blessing remains important today and is usually performed during a special mass, most contemporary Tuscan sagre focus more on the celebration of the harvest itself. Typical Tuscan sagre are dedicated to the grape and olive harvests (usually focusing on wine or olive oil), the harvests of porcini mushrooms, chestnuts, truffles, or local meats.
A Special Villa Ardore Sagra.
We at Villa Ardore recently had our own celebration of gratitude. Just a few weeks ago, we had a party at the villa to thank our incredible staff for their hard work throughout this past year. It’s difficult to express in words how fortunate we feel to have such a dedicated team. Francesco, our villa manager, whose constant smile and infectious laugh puts everyone at ease, works nonstop throughout the year to help guests plan their stay and ensure that everything happens seamlessly when they arrive and throughout their time here. And Massimo, our assistant manager and expert mixologist who joined us mid-summer, has helped Francesco make the guest experience even more seamless. Riccardo, our property manager and groundskeeper, ensures that the grounds are always beautiful and that all the systems that make the villa, the pool, and the spa comfortable are always in top working order. Christine and her incredible crew of cleaners ensure that each day begins with everything in order, with guests barely even noticing that they’re there. And our phenomenal massage therapists Naomi, Elisa, and Greta transport guests into new states of relaxation, using oils made from natural local ingredients.
Chef Roberto creates such amazing Tuscan dishes, sometimes as they have been prepared for generations and sometimes with a contemporary flair, and always with a brief introduction of each dish and a sense of humor. Master pizzaiolo Gianluca demonstrates that pizza making is not only a craft but an art form, and breakfast manager Salvatore provides a full spread of fruits, vegetables, eggs, meats, cheeses, cappuccinos, pastries and other morning goodies that make waking up at Villa Adore such a treat.
Villa Ardore would not be what it is without each of these incredible professionals. So it seemed fitting to have our own sagra, giving thanks for them and everyone—guest-facing and behind the scenes—who has made staying at Villa Ardore an experience unlike any other. The party lasted most of the day and was attended by partners, spouses, and children and, like other sagras, was a wonderful combination of thanksgiving and simple enjoyment of each other’s company. Unlike most other sagras, however, ours also included plenty of laughter and dancing.
What was once survival is now celebration.
The Raccolta: the beginning of a very special extra virgin olive oil.
Another thing that we have to be grateful for this year is our wonderful olive harvest, which has yielded a very good quality extra virgin oil, which will be reserved only for those who stay at the villa in 2026. We are especially grateful for this year’s harvest because the trees had been neglected in the year or two before we bought the villa during the pandemic. Some had to be repositioned, and some new trees planted, with the result that there was very little yield over the past three years as the trees recovered or took root.
And, although the weather this summer was ideal for grapes, yielding what promises to be a historically good year for local wines, that same weather was less than ideal for olives. Some of our neighbors had too few olives even to bother harvesting. But, due to groundskeeper Riccardo’s excellent care for the trees, our good position at the top of a south-facing hill (which anyone who has stayed here will remember for its spectacular views of the sunset), good soil conditions, and a healthy dose of luck, we had a close to perfect crop. We were also blessed with fine weather during our three days of hand picking the olives—the raccolta, or harvesting—which, while a serious work, was nonetheless a lot of fun.
The humble, versatile, incredible chestnut.
Another local crop that has done very well this year is chestnuts, which are now appearing by the sackful in markets, and whose aroma is filling the piazzas of local towns as they are sold, freshly roasted, from vending carts. The humble chestnut is a surprisingly versatile ingredient. For centuries, it has been an important part of the Tuscan winter diet, and for good reason. While lower in protein that most other nuts, the chestnut is rich in fibre and vitamins, and its starchy quality allows it to blend well with other ingredients when cooked. Try it in this month’s recipe, chestnut risotto, and you’ll see for yourself.
Chestnut Risotto
Ingredients:
½ of a red onion, chopped
½ of a celery stick, chopped
3 oz. (75 g.) of pancetta, cubed
1 sprig of fresh rosemary
1 Tablespoon of olive oil
1 cup (200 g.) of Arborio rice
3 1/3 cups (800 ml.) of chicken stock
3.5 oz. (100 g.) of chestnuts, cook, peeled, and finely chopped*
¼ cup (50 ml.) of brandy
2.5 oz. (75 g.) of unsalted butter
3.5 oz. (100 g.) of Parmesan cheese, grated
Freshly ground black pepper
Method:
Bring the stock to a simmer.
In a separate pot, cook the onion, celery, pancetta, and rosemary in the olive oil over low heat until the pancetta begins to render its fat, roughly 2 to 4 minutes. Then add the rice and cook it, stirring it frequently, for 5 minutes, until the rice has a pearly coat.
Once the rice has that pearly coat, increase the heat to medium-low and add a ladleful of the stock to the rice and stir it. While it is not necessary to stir the rice continuously, it must be stirred frequently. When the first ladleful of stock has been absorbed, add another ladleful and continue, ladleful by ladleful, waiting each time for the previous ladleful to be absorbed. Continue this process until the rice is al dente and most, but not all, of the final ladleful has been absorbed.
Add the chestnuts and brandy, and thoroughly stir them into the rice. Cook for an additional 1 to 2 minutes, to cook off the brandy, then stir in the butter, Parmesan cheese, and black pepper.
Serve immediately. This dish pairs well with a DOCG Chianti or Chianti Classico.
*Chestnuts can often be found in supermarkets, vacuum sealed, and pre-cooked and peeled