The chestnut, the Queen of the Apennines.

Autumn is not a season but a state of mind, the highest magic that nature can express in its circularity, and in this palette of colours, chestnut reigns, the Queen of this territory during the autumn season.

The chestnut is the undisputed symbol of autumn, with its brown color and its scent when roasted and its unmistakable flavour, in short, a real feast for the senses!

At the height of the chestnut season, the entire territory comes alive in the collection of the latest delicacies that the forest grants before the silent winter arrives. When the days are still warmed by the tender autumn sun and the forest is filled with intense colours and scents, immersing yourself in nature is the most relaxing and intoxicating thing that nature can offer us.

In the past, the arrival of autumn brought great excitement in families, throughout the year the undergrowth was kept clean, where there was a chestnut tree, the soil was cleared of weeds and carefully mowed. The wood had to be in place to be able to collect the fallen chestnuts, the harvest began between the end of September and the first week of October and continued until November; it was a job that was done in the family, by hand, collecting them in baskets and wicker baskets.

Each family collected chestnuts in the woods, no one collected those in the property of others, but after the large harvest, the woods were made available to all those who did not have a wood where they could collect them.

The collection was done several times a day, the boys went to collect before going to school and continued on their return; today chestnuts are harvested with the help of nets, especially in modern intensive fruit chestnut groves or even through mechanical harvesting with vacuum cleaners and harvesters but not in this place, where the tradition where the tradition of manual harvesting are still alive despite the difficulties.

Once the daily harvest is finished, the selection process begins, the bad chestnuts are completely discarded while the smaller ones are set aside and sold at lower prices.

Fortunately, after years of suffering, due to poor harvesting, due to a killer-insect, the chestnut gall wasp, the chestnut groves have returned to produce an important quantity of fruit of excellent quality.

However, the problems are certainly not lacking, the depopulation of inland areas, with masses of the population, mostly young people who move to the cities, has taken away labor from the collection, and this leads the older generations to additional efforts or, in alternative, foreign labor.

A legend tells that in a mountain forest where, next to a huge tree full of chestnuts, lived a family of hedgehogs made up of mum, dad and their children. Daily a group of hungry squirrels approached the tree to eat its fruits, but one day, the little family thought about taking a walk in the woods and, hearing many complaints, curiously approached the tree to see what was happening. He noticed that the chestnuts were complaining because those spiteful inhabitants ate them. Together, then, they came up with a nice plan: when the squirrels arrived, the chestnuts would hide inside the hedgehogs. So they did and, since then, the small rodents, stinging each other, never came near the chestnuts and they, to protect themselves, kept their husk.

The chestnut plays an important role in this territory as well as in many hilly and mountain areas of Italy, not only for the production of fruit and wood, but also for the protection of the territory and for the protection of the environmental and hydrogeological structure.

Traveling in an original way, beyond the usual destinations, with a spirit of discovery, allows you to find unexpected surprises: places, stories and flavours of inestimable value.

This little journey that focuses on chestnut is intended as an original, different proposal, an opportunity to get to know territories rich in history, nature and culture.

Getting lost in the beauty of these centuries-old woods makes us feel the sweetness and grandeur of Nature.

The ancient wrestling in Benarés (Varanasi)

It is just five o'clock in the morning and the Ganges is still shrouded in darkness, a blanket of fog protects these sacred waters and the human presence is reduced to a few individuals.

On the Ghats only a few worshippers , preparing for the morning rites on the Sacred River. The silence has just been broken by the swarm of a few small waves coming from the few boats that ply the river.

The lavenders have arrived and begin to prepare their primordial stations, which will see them curved in the sun for most of the day. The city is waking up and I'm heading for Tulsi Ghat, where one of the oldest wrestling gyms in the world, Tulsi akhara, is located.

The opening time should be 6 a.m., so I was told, the day before by a kind and burly member of the club, so, I walk with my rooms in the south direction, contemplating the first lights of the day that, tenuously, illuminate the Ganges, giving to It a touch of colour with a magical flavour.

After a walk of about half an hour, There are, again, a hundred steps that separate me from the entrance gate, so, I start climbing passing near a small temple just outside the gym, where a small group of faithful stood picking up, I'm finally at destination.

No one is yet on site but, time five minutes the buzz of the city rises by decibels and in bulk come the first members of the club and, a far more number of curious "photographers" from all parts of the Globe, I didn't know the place was so popular. 

The Tulsi akhara on Tulsi Ghat, is believed to have been established more than 5,000 years ago. The day starts here with a prayer session at the tiny shrine behind the mud rink devoted to Lord Rama and Hanuman. They do some stretches, push-ups and squats as warm-up before trying their hand at different kushti equipment.

There are many levels of competitions open to the students and a talented student can even make his way to the national-level competition. What is amazing is that all of them pursue this as a passion and have other careers from insurance and banking to running a shop; some are students at schools and colleges.

The wrestling pit itself is filled with soft earth refilled at regular intervals from nearby fields. According to Siyaram Pehelwan, this is not just any mud — it is mud that is brought from nearby villages and seasoned by mixing it with turmeric, curd, mustard oil and neem leaves to infuse it with therapeutic properties so that the wrestlers stay healthy, and don’t catch any infection.

At present, kushti is only practiced in a handful of akharas. Even here, the future of the sport is uncertain due to dwindling funds and the falling number of students. There is a lot of pressure on traditional kushti schools to embrace international wrestling standards. But there is still hope with people like Siyaram, who are ensuring that this ancient art of body building stays afloat.

Pamplona, Saint Fermin

The Running of the Bulls, Encierro, of Pamplona is the most famous of Spain, but not the only one. It is the highest profile event of the San Fermin festival, which is held every year from 6–14 July.The first bull running is on 7 July, followed by one on each of the following mornings of the festival, beginning every day at 8 am. The Encierro begins with runners singing a benediction, El Cantico, It is sung three times, each time being sung both in Spanish and Basque. The benediction is a prayer given at a statue of Saint Fermin, patron of the festival and the city, to ask the saint's protection. Though there is no formal dress code, the very common and traditional attire is white pants, white shirt with a red scarf around the waist and a red handkerchief around the neck. Despite The protests of pro-animal rights groups, the show go on. Normally On the eve of the festival, dozens of semi-naked activists try to draw attention at what they see as animal cruelty, only, for entertain the folks. Bullfights are protected under the Spanish Constitution as part of the country’s cultural heritage.