Roast chestnuts in Barga Vecchia

Sometimes some of the tricks that life plays on us seem very hard to understand. This morning Barga woke to the news that somebody ended their life yesterday by jumping from the high bridge which joins Barga Giardino and Barga Vecchia. Further poignancy was added by the fact that he jumped from exactly the same point where Barga'a outsider musician Silvano Togneri ended his life just over a year ago (article here). The doom and gloom, which descended over Barga as snippets of information about yesterday's suicide gradually filtered through the town was by the end of the day strangely pushed to one side as the incoming autumn season gave us one of those memorable perfect blue sky days, where it is almost impossible to not marvel at the nature around us.

Today was also the first roast chestnut event this year held outside Aristo's bar in Piazza Salvo Salvi – once again, a perfect example of the community in action, and why we are so lucky to be able to live here. Seemingly out of nowhere, without a huge amount of organisation, wood for the fire was brought into the piazza by four or five different people. The heavy metal tray in which the fire was built was transported in by some of the Comune workers. A sack containing 25 kg of the finest local chestnuts, was opened up and people of all ages sitting outside the bar started to prepare the chestnuts ready for roasting. Three long handled chestnut roasting pans were brought in by various people, the fire was lit and roasting started in earnest. Musicians arrived, instruments were brought into the piazza, flasks of red wine were handed round, and the festa was off and running. In the middle of all these preparations a stranger on a grey horse rose through the piazza and out the other side – nobody knew who he was or why he was riding through the town – visual poetry almost.   Incredible how these things happen, as there is no publicity, nobody really is in charge of organising, but somehow, almost organically, these festas take off. As darkness descended on the piazza, the chestnuts were replaced by a grill and the smell of fragrant sausages gently cooking filled the piazza. Somebody appeared with a large plate of castagnaccio, a local sweet delicacy made from chestnut flour (a recipe for castagnaccio can be found in forum) , and the musicians played on. Only at 10 o'clock in the evening after the piazza was swept clean, the tables rearranged and the glasses taken inside did the participants of today's social event reluctantly, very reluctantly finally relinquish the piazza. A day of lows and highs. A day to savour the joys of a vibrant working community but also to remember that sadly not everybody feels so at ease and at home in this society.