Food trails

One of our stops was at Sillico a small village of less than 100 people in the Apennines at the back of Lucca in Garfaganana, Italy.

Like many small communities it needed to focus on an identity to survive, many small villages in this part of the world are literally dying as the young people have moved to the cities and the village is left full of old people who are wondering if the village will survive.

Sillico took on the challenge, it had history and sweet chestnut growing on its side. It established a sweet chestnut walk that went through the plantations and gave the visitor an insight onto how chestnuts have been grown for centuries. This is a chance to meet and talk to the growers while they actually care for the nuts.

Then once a year in late July they celebrate the freeing of a medieval local bandit with a medieval food festival where the villages prepare and serve medieval foods.

This is a great example of how a potential “Ghost Town” has become a “Home Town.”