A typically autumnal weekend awaits us, especially since the weekend fairs and enogastronomic events from October 9 to 11, 2026 are defined by seasonal products. From chestnuts to porcini mushrooms, from potatoes to wine, there are numerous events across Italy.
We have selected the best events that we advise you not to miss.
Chestnut Festival in Roccavione (CN)
From October 9 to 11, Roccavione becomes the heart of the celebration with the 63rd Chestnut Festival as part of the Ottobrata Roccavionese, the rich calendar of appointments that accompanies the town of Cuneo throughout October and which has its central moment this weekend. Three days in which the town will host a program that blends tradition, gastronomy, sport, music, and opportunities for gathering. It starts on Friday at 7:00 PM with the traditional polentata and music. Between Friday and Saturday, in the municipal gym, there will also be the Chestnut Tournament. Saturday, October 10, promises to be particularly busy. From 1:00 PM the 1st Fiat 500 Club Italia gathering is scheduled, while at 4:00 PM the Aperitrail with Alice Minetti will take place, one of the most high-profile sports events on the program. From 7:00 PM the evening will continue with “Eat, drink and dance,” featuring pizza, cocktails, and music from the Seventies, Eighties, and Nineties. Sunday, October 11, will be the day of the 63rd Chestnut Festival, which from 9:00 AM will enliven the village streets. The traditional market with hobbyists returns, the flea market curated by children, painting and photography exhibitions, a static modeling display, the amusement park, and the 3rd Vespa gathering dedicated to chestnuts. Naturally, ample space will be devoted to enogastronomy, with the Street Flavors Festival – Not Only Street Food, the Food Village, and the traditional distribution of chestnuts of Gran Baldoria dei Mondaj.
Potato Festival in Leonessa (RI)
From October 9 to 11, 2026, three days of flavor, tradition, and music with the Potato Festival. “Fried, boiled, mashed. A dish with the tufts, the truffle with the gnocchi” is the motto that for years accompanies one of autumn’s most anticipated appointments in the Rieti area. This year we are at the 36th edition of a festival born almost by chance, during the Feast of the Madonna of San Matteo, when a local producer parked his truck in the central square and began distributing fried potatoes to passersby. The initiative met such success that it evolved, over the years, into a festival dedicated to one of the symbols of the agricultural economy of the Plan of Leonessa: the potato, in varieties with yellow and red flesh, appreciated for their organoleptic characteristics and quality. Majorette performances in the square, gastronomic stands with truffled gnocchi, gnocchi with meat sauce, fried potatoes, and wine: tastings continue into the evening with the option to take away and live music. The Potato Festival will also be an opportunity to discover Leonessa, a hill town of art perched at about a thousand meters above sea level, at the border among Lazio, Umbria and Abruzzo, with its medieval layout, historic monuments, and the surrounding Apennine landscape.
FèXtra – Extravagant Festa of Olive Oil in Mattinata (FG)
From October 9 to 18, 2026, in the heart of the Gargano, Mattinata celebrates extra virgin olive oil with ten days of tastings, visits to mills, workshops, excursions, music, and activities for children. The sixth edition intertwines flavors and territory discovery, offering a chance to experience Apulia in autumn as well. This year’s theme is “FèXtra 6 communities”: a play on the number of editions and the identity of an event that grows through relationships. Lunches, dinners, demonstrations and tastings, and stands from producers accompanied by music. The extra virgin olive oil will thread the experiences: from olive harvesting to milling and bottling, with visits to the mill and tastings, up to paths on Monte Sacro and Monte Saraceno, e-bike excursions in the Foresta Umbra, and yoga among olive trees.
Gnocchi with Porcini Mushrooms Festival in Bellegra (RM)
The second weekend continues an event dedicated to gnocchi made with water, flour, and eggs. The dough, worked by hand and then cut into irregular rectangles, pairs perfectly with porcini mushrooms, a dish that tells the territory. The XVIII edition will conclude the weekend of October 9, 10, and 11, 2026, when the whole town will gather at the table, while the squares will host music, markets, and historical reenactments. At the stands, alongside porcini gnocchi, one can taste polenta cake with Parmesan mushroom sauce, grandmother’s meatballs, and, among this year’s novelties, porcini arancini. There will also be a children’s menu. The food stands open for lunch at 12:00 and for dinner at 19:30.
Chestnut Festival in Soriano nel Cimino (VT)
The second weekend also brings the Chestnut Festival of Soriano nel Cimino to a close on October 18, a history-rich reenactment celebrating the event’s 59th edition. The chestnut remains the symbolic heart of the festival, but a whole world revolves around it. There are four Districts – Papacqua, San Giorgio, Trinità, and Rocca – that return to take the lead with ancient rivalries, challenges, processions, and shows. There are historical groups, musicians, fencers, hearth keepers, and baton twirlers. There are taverns where the Middle Ages shed its textbook-like aura for a few hours to become atmosphere, storytelling, and flavor. And if you love chestnuts, there are many other chestnut-focused festivals across Italy.
Apples in Mele in Mel (BL)
From October 9 to 11, Mele a Mel fills the courtyards and streets of the village in the Belluno Dolomites, hosting local typical and artisanal products, from alpine cheeses to Dolomite honey, from grappas to the numerous varieties of beans, from walnuts to potatoes to “pastin.” The undisputed protagonist remains the apple in its many varieties, grown in healthy and organic ways. Ten sixteenth-century noble courtyards open, visitable, and animated by the Local District Groups who, together with local associations, give them new life with wisdom, taste, and a bit of merriment. Art exhibitions, crafts of a bygone era, musical and theatrical forays, but above all plenty of eno-gastronomy: all the typical and traditional Bellunese recipes made with local, zero-kilometer products are to be tasted. The apple, in its many varieties, is masterfully highlighted and cultivated in a healthy, organic way.
XVIII Grand Gala of Tortél Dóls in Colorno (PR)
Saturday, October 10, and Sunday, October 11, the grounds at the foot of the Reggia di Colorno host the XVIII Grand Gala of Tortél Dóls, a gastronomic event dedicated to the first course of fresh pasta with a sweet-and-sour filling, tied to the era of Maria Luigia of Austria, wife of Napoleon and ruler of the Duchy of Parma and Piacenza. Legend has it that it originated from the encounter between Austrian cuisine, which would supply the sweet-and-sour filling, and the local tradition of filled pasta. A truly special tortello, known and appreciated beyond local borders. A special guest for this weekend will be the renowned Italian chef Elena Spisni, among the best-known pasta-makers in Italy. On Sunday, October 11, at 4:30 PM, she will headline a show cooking dedicated to fresh pasta and Emilia-Romagna’s tradition. Also noteworthy are the competition of the rezdorini and the playful challenge among tortelli of Parma, Reggio-Emilia, Mantua, and Cremona.
Wine Sicily in Palermo
From October 9 to 11, Palermo welcomes back Wine Sicily for its eighth edition, three days dedicated to Sicilian wine with 90 wineries and more than 750 labels, with one extra day compared to past editions. Under the trees of Villa Trabia, the winery stands will host tastings and masterclasses. At the end of the three days, a jury of ten wine bloggers will award the Wine Sicily Prize to one of the participating wineries. The English Garden will serve as the backdrop for Wine Sicily OFF with numerous concerts throughout the event.
Chestnut Festival in Roccavione (CN)
From September 9 to October 11, Roccavione becomes the heart of the celebration with the 63rd Chestnut Festival as part of the Ottobrata Roccavionese, the rich calendar of appointments that accompanies the municipality of Cuneo throughout October and which has its central moment this weekend. Three days in which the town will host a program that blends tradition, gastronomy, sport, music, and opportunities for gathering. It begins on Friday at 7:00 PM with the traditional Polentata and music. Between Friday and Saturday, in the municipal gym, there is also the Chestnut Tournament. Saturday, October 10, will be especially intense. From 1:00 PM the 1st Fiat 500 Club Italia gathering is scheduled, while at 4:00 PM the Aperitrail with Alice Minetti will take place, one of the program’s most sought-after sports events. From 7:00 PM the event will be “Eat, drink and dance,” with pizza, cocktails, and music from the Seventies, Eighties, and Nineties. Sunday, October 11, will be the day of the 63rd Chestnut Festival, which from 9:00 AM will animate the town’s streets. The traditional market with hobbyists returns, the flea market organized by children, painting and photography exhibitions, a static modeling display, the amusement park, and the 3rd Vespa gathering for chestnuts. There will naturally be ample space for enogastronomy, with the Street Flavors Festival – Not Only Street Food, the Food Village, and the traditional distribution of chestnuts from Gran Baldoria dei Mondaj.
50 Shades of Pinot Noir in Voghera (PV)
Voghera returns to the international oenological stage with the seventh edition of 50 Shades of Pinot Noir, scheduled for October 10 and 11 in the Ridotto del Teatro Valentino Garavani, recently restored. The festival aims to celebrate Pinot Noir as an oenological excellence and, at the same time, as a promotional instrument for the territory, through tastings, meetings, gastronomy, culture, and performances. There are 99 labels in tasting in addition to guest wines from Alsace and Armenia. The program includes a rich series of guided tastings. Among the innovations of this edition, the event’s location in the historic rooms of the Ridotto del Teatro named after the designer Valentino Garavani and the agreement with Poste Italiane which has created an “Annullo filatelico” to make the experience in the city on the 45th parallel unforgettable. A stamp, created especially for the occasion, that will also become a collectible keepsake.
