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| (Visitors explore the inaugural Castanea Expo at Fortezza da Basso in Florence, Italy, in December 2025. The event brought together 75 exhibitors representing different parts of the chestnut value chain. Photo: Castanea Expo) |
Second edition returns to Florence in December, building on a successful debut with 75 exhibitors
Five thematic areas will connect technology, research, tourism, wood and food across the chestnut value chain
Italy’s model shows how chestnuts, honey, timber and forests can support a broader rural economy
Florence is set to become a focal point for Europe’s chestnut sector once again as Castanea Expo 2026 returns for its second edition this December.
Organized by Firenze Fiera, the event will take place from December 11 to 13 at Fortezza da Basso in Florence, Italy. The expo aims to bring together growers, businesses, public institutions, buyers, researchers and tourism operators while connecting the entire chestnut value chain.
Building on its inaugural edition in 2025, this year’s event will broaden its international reach and place greater emphasis on technology, research, food, timber and tourism.
Italy’s First National Chestnut Expo Drew 75 Exhibitors
Castanea Expo made its debut from December 12 to 14, 2025, at the same venue. It was presented as Italy’s first national exhibition dedicated to chestnut cultivation and the wider chestnut value chain.
From the outset, its scope extended well beyond fresh chestnuts. The exhibition covered cultivation and processing, chestnut flour, confectionery and food service, craft beverages, machinery and processing equipment, wood products, patents, museums and mills, as well as sustainable and experiential tourism.
The inaugural edition attracted 75 exhibitors, including institutions, growers, consortia, processing companies and tourism operators. Participants came from across Italy and from other European chestnut-producing regions, including Thessaly in Greece.
The event also brought together organizations including the Tuscany Region, the City of Florence, the University of Florence, Slow Food Italia and Eurocastanea. The first edition received institutional support from the European Parliament and Italy’s Ministry of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forestry.
First Edition Builds a European Network
The three-day event featured conferences, workshops, thematic exhibitions, tastings, cooking shows and scientific and technical exchanges.
Representatives from Greece’s Thessaly region took part alongside Bertrand Guerin, president of Eurocastanea, the European chestnut network. Programs addressed production, storage and consumption, biodiversity and chestnut timber, while honey, beer and chestnut flour were also featured.
Firenze Fiera described the inaugural edition as a success in terms of public participation, institutional engagement and exhibitor satisfaction. Representatives from Greece and France were among the international participants.
Guerin highlighted Florence’s accessibility from both eastern and western Europe. Representatives of chestnut growers from Thessaly also said the event could develop into an important forum for examining the future of the sector across agriculture, tourism and culture.
Five Thematic Areas Define the 2026 Edition
A major change for the second edition is the introduction of five specialized thematic areas covering technology and machinery, research and innovation, tourism, wood and design, and food and processing.
Castanea Tech will focus on machinery, equipment and technologies for chestnut cultivation, harvesting and processing.
Castanea Lab Innovation will cover applied agronomy, regulations, economics and other areas connecting research with industrial innovation.
Castanea Tour will explore ways to connect chestnut forests with historic villages, walking and trekking routes, museums, local cuisine and experiential tourism.
Castanea Wood will focus on chestnut timber and its applications in environmental and civil engineering, furniture and design, while Castanea Food will showcase fresh chestnuts, traditional processed foods, innovative products and premium gastronomy.
Together, the five areas illustrate an industrial model that begins with cultivation and technology, moves through research and processing, and extends into food, timber and tourism.
Italian Chestnut Production Tops 64,000 Tonnes
The expansion of Castanea Expo comes as Italy’s chestnut sector shows signs of renewed strength.
Figures presented during the 2025 event put Italian chestnut production at more than 64,000 tons, placing the country among the world’s leading producers. Materials released ahead of the event also described the 2025 harvest as one of the strongest in the previous decade, with production in Tuscany up 40 percent from the previous year.
Italy’s strategy, however, goes beyond increasing production. Chestnut cultivation is increasingly being connected with geographical indications, regional food products, biodiversity, landscapes, tourism and the revitalization of mountainous and inland communities.
Chestnut Honey Extends the Value Chain
One particularly notable aspect of the Castanea Expo model is chestnut honey.
The economic value of a chestnut tree does not end with its fruit. Its blossoms provide an important nectar source for honey production, linking chestnut cultivation with beekeeping and creating additional opportunities for regional branding and value-added products.
The inaugural Castanea Expo included programs featuring honey and beer production, placing beekeeping alongside cultivation, processing, food, timber and tourism within the broader chestnut economy.
Italy already has a notable example in Miele di Castagno della Lunigiana DOP, a chestnut honey protected under the European Union’s Protected Designation of Origin system. Castanea Expo materials featured the honey alongside other certified regional chestnut products.
For Korea, where chestnut-growing areas can also provide important nectar sources for beekeeping, closer links between chestnut growers, beekeepers and processors could create an additional value chain built around chestnuts and chestnut honey.
From Food to Functional Products, Timber and Tourism
The broader direction of Castanea Expo is to unlock value from the entire chestnut tree and the landscape surrounding it.
Chestnuts can become fresh produce, flour, confectionery, restaurant ingredients and functional foods. Chestnut blossoms produce honey. The timber can be used in construction, furniture and design, while chestnut forests can support trekking, gastronomy, regional culture and experiential tourism.
Research, breeding, pest and disease management, mechanization and technological innovation further extend the sector beyond traditional agriculture and forestry.
This approach transforms the chestnut tree from a source of a single seasonal crop into the foundation of a much broader rural economy.
Beyond the Chestnut: Unlocking the Value of the Entire Tree
The Castanea Expo model raises an important question for Korea: How broadly should the chestnut industry be defined?
Future growth may depend not only on production, storage, processing and exports, but also on breeding, mechanization, climate adaptation, pest management, chestnut honey, functional foods, timber and forest tourism.
An international chestnut expo therefore has the potential to become more than a showcase for products from different countries. By connecting growers, companies, research institutions, governments, tourism operators and consumers, it can function as a platform for developing new technologies, products and markets.
The structure emerging in Florence begins with varieties and cultivation, advances through machinery, technology, research and processing, and then expands into food, functional products, chestnut honey, timber, tourism and regional culture.
The fundamental question is shifting from “How much can a chestnut be sold for?” to something much broader:
“How much economic, environmental and cultural value can be created from a chestnut tree and the forest around it?”
Castanea Expo 2026 will offer another look at how Europe’s traditional chestnut sector is evolving into an integrated industry spanning food, technology, beekeeping, research, timber and tourism.
For Korea, the lesson from Florence is clear: the future of the chestnut industry may depend not only on producing more chestnuts, but on creating more value from the tree, the forest and the communities around them.