Chestnut Tree Museum

Housed inside Palazzo Alidosi in Castel del Rio is a museum dedicated to the precious fruit once widely considered to be the ‘bread of the mountains’. The Museum brings visitors closer to the nature, culture and history of the upper Santerno valley, whose economy relies heavily on the much-prized chestnut of Castel del Rio, which enjoys PGI status. The Museum offers an educational tour that caters to everyone: it begins with a description of the natural environment in which chestnuts thrive, illustrating the unique characteristics of the chestnut tree and explaining man’s role in chestnut growing. Also on display are old working tools and samples of the soil in which chestnuts grow.