Autumn in Liguria brings a different food calendar. From early October into November, villages behind the Italian Riviera celebrate chestnuts, porcini mushrooms, truffles and seasonal cooking at traditional food festivals called sagre. If you are visiting Alassio in autumn, these gatherings offer local flavours beyond the coast. Here are eight places and traditions worth exploring.
1. Ligurian villages: Understanding the traditional sagra
A sagra is a village food festival celebrating a local ingredient or seasonal speciality. These informal gatherings are central to Liguria’s autumn food culture, bringing communities together around traditional recipes.
Expect communal tables, simple service and dishes featuring seasonal ingredients, from roasted chestnuts to mushroom pasta. Most autumn sagre take place around weekends, although dates vary between villages and years.
2. Calizzano: Chestnut country in the Savona hinterland
The valleys around Calizzano belong to Liguria’s traditional chestnut country. For generations, chestnuts sustained communities in the wooded hills, earning the chestnut tree the name albero del pane, or ‘the bread tree’.
Castagnate, traditional chestnut festivals, take place across Liguria from early October into November. Roasted chestnuts, with their smoky aroma and sweet, floury texture, are the main attraction.
Other specialities include castagnaccio, a dense chestnut-flour cake, chestnut farinata, a savoury preparation made using chestnut flour, and chestnut-flour trofie.
3. Bardineto: Autumn flavours in the chestnut valleys
Bardineto shares Calizzano’s woodland traditions in the Savona hinterland, where autumn celebrations reflect the seasonal chestnut harvest.
For families seeking a chestnut festival Liguria offers more than food tasting. A castagnata introduces children to ingredients that sustained mountain communities. Roasted chestnuts are familiar, while chestnut-flour pasta reveals their role in everyday cooking.
Check local event listings before travelling, as village celebrations are not guaranteed every weekend.
4. Busalla: Chestnut-flour trofie in the Genoa hinterland
Busalla, in the Genoa hinterland, has a recurring early-October festival tradition celebrating chestnut-flour trofie, an alternative to festivals focused on roasted chestnuts.
Trofie are short, twisted pasta shapes associated with Ligurian cooking. Chestnut flour connects this regional pasta with the woodland harvest.
Explore more regional recipes in our guide to Ligurian cooking in the villa kitchen.
5. The Ligurian hinterland: Porcini mushroom season
Liguria is Italy’s most wooded region, making its inland valleys ideal for exploring autumn mushroom traditions. September and October are the traditional months for porcini, known as funghi porcini.
Local trattorie serve fresh pasta with mushrooms and fried porcini. Their earthy aroma and rich texture suit cooler autumn weather.
A mushroom lunch is an excellent alternative when festival dates do not match your plans. Discover another inland dining experience in our guide to Trattoria I Fìi de in Moglio.
6. Millesimo: The Val Bormida truffle festival
Millesimo, in the province of Savona, hosts the Festa Nazionale del Tartufo della Val Bormida, a recurring national truffle festival traditionally held in early October.
The festival reached its 33rd edition in 2025, reflecting its established place in local autumn traditions.
For anyone researching a Liguria truffle festival, Millesimo is worth remembering. Check specific dates for 2026 through the town’s official information channels before travelling.
7. Camporosso: Pumpkin-filled barbagiuai from Val Nervia
Camporosso, in Val Nervia, is known for barbagiuai, traditional fried ravioli filled with pumpkin and cheese. This western Ligurian speciality is particularly suited to autumn.
Crisp pastry, soft pumpkin and savoury cheese create a distinctive regional dish, showing that Ligurian autumn cooking extends beyond chestnuts and mushrooms.
For families exploring the Riviera di Ponente, Val Nervia offers another worthwhile inland food tradition.
8. Alassio: A coastal base for exploring autumn food traditions
Alassio is a convenient coastal base for exploring western Liguria’s autumn flavours. Combine seaside relaxation with excursions into the Savona hinterland, where chestnuts, mushrooms and truffles shape seasonal menus.
After a day enjoying communal festival tables, return to a quieter evening at the villa. Our guide to Liguria in September and October provides more autumn travel inspiration.
Practical tips for Liguria food festivals
Festival dates change annually, so check town websites or local event listings before travelling. Most sagre take place on weekends, with lunchtime a sensible arrival time. Expect communal tables and informal service rather than restaurant arrangements.
Bring an appetite rather than assuming reservations are necessary. Chestnut dishes pair nicely with local red wine. Discover regional varieties in our guide to Pigato, Vermentino and Rossese.
Autumn food festivals offer families staying around Alassio a glimpse of Liguria’s woodland harvests and generations-old recipes. During your villa stay, consider exploring the hills and discovering these seasonal traditions.