Every year in October, more than 20,000 visitors come to take a bite of rustic France at the annual Mourjou Chestnut Festival. In the heart of the Lot Valley, between the Lot and the Aveyron, go and discover Mourjou (Cantal) and the chestnut that nourished people of the area for ages.
Symbol of the Châtaigneraie cantalienne (chestnut trees protected area), the chestnut tree was suffering since the 1950s from modernisation. In 1990, a group of young inhabitants from Mourjou decided to create a “Chestnut festival” to revive traditions and promote the area. It was a success from the start and now attracts more than 20.000 visitors during one week-end.
Half of the 400 inhabitants of Mourjou take part in the organisation of this festival which welcome over 80 stallholders from all over the world for food testing, conferences, technical demonstrations, exhibitions, hiking, storytelling, music and dance.
2 tons of chestnuts are grilled and 5,000 litres of cider are drunk over the weekend in a festive atmosphere.
Take the chestnut discovery trip with the visit of the chestnut museum and its traditional architecture like a “secadou” (a traditional farm in which chestnut was dried), a backer’s oven or a village shop from the 1950s, or enjoy a gastronomic experience with a 5-course meal all cooked with chestnut at the Auberge de Mourjou; delicious, especially the chestnut ice-cream!
Paul Johnson is Editor of A Luxury Travel Blog and has worked in the travel industry for more than 30 years. He is Winner of the Innovations in Travel ‘Best Travel Influencer’ Award from WIRED magazine. In addition to other awards, the blog has also been voted “one of the world’s best travel blogs” and “best for luxury” by The Daily Telegraph.
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Symbol of the Châtaigneraie cantalienne (chestnut trees protected area), the chestnut tree was suffering since the 1950s from modernisation. In 1990, a group of young inhabitants from Mourjou decided to create a “Chestnut festival” to revive traditions and promote the area. It was a success from the start and now attracts more than 20.000 visitors during one week-end.
Half of the 400 inhabitants of Mourjou take part in the organisation of this festival which welcome over 80 stallholders from all over the world for food testing, conferences, technical demonstrations, exhibitions, hiking, storytelling, music and dance.
2 tons of chestnuts are grilled and 5,000 litres of cider are drunk over the weekend in a festive atmosphere.
Take the chestnut discovery trip with the visit of the chestnut museum and its traditional architecture like a “secadou” (a traditional farm in which chestnut was dried), a backer’s oven or a village shop from the 1950s, or enjoy a gastronomic experience with a 5-course meal all cooked with chestnut at the Auberge de Mourjou; delicious, especially the chestnut ice-cream!
Symbol of the Châtaigneraie cantalienne (chestnut trees protected area), the chestnut tree was suffering since the 1950s from modernisation. In 1990, a group of young inhabitants from Mourjou decided to create a “Chestnut festival” to revive traditions and promote the area. It was a success from the start and now attracts more than 20.000 visitors during one week-end.
Half of the 400 inhabitants of Mourjou take part in the organisation of this festival which welcome over 80 stallholders from all over the world for food testing, conferences, technical demonstrations, exhibitions, hiking, storytelling, music and dance.
2 tons of chestnuts are grilled and 5,000 litres of cider are drunk over the weekend in a festive atmosphere.
Take the chestnut discovery trip with the visit of the chestnut museum and its traditional architecture like a “secadou” (a traditional farm in which chestnut was dried), a backer’s oven or a village shop from the 1950s, or enjoy a gastronomic experience with a 5-course meal all cooked with chestnut at the Auberge de Mourjou; delicious, especially the chestnut ice-cream!
