Scala e la sua Festa della Castagna

Scala is a small town (pop.1,500 approx), set about 400 meters above sea level, five chilometers up from Amalfi. You can reach it via winding roads from Ravello after approximately ten minutes by car. 

But Scala is not just ANY village - it is the oldest village on the Amalfi Coast - A quiet escape on the Amalfi coast, as you can read in this delightful article on Scala.

The village of Scala as I have seen it from across the valley, from Ravello. Scala makes a very "terraced" impression from here. Imagine the lemon and olive gardens, vegetable gardens, vinyards..., and the quality of life and pure fresh air.  

A maiolica telling us more about the location of Scala and its villages

In October, Scala is famous for its Festa della Castagna where you can taste specialties made from chestnuts that grow abundantly above the Amalfi coast, from Scala inland and into the neighboring valley of Tramonti as well. This gourmet event is described vividly on the Pro Loco Scala Facebook Site, from which  I would like to show a few details.

And - this year, in addition to the delicious food fair and tastings, you will obtain information about the chestnut groves and also, unfortunately, about the plight that endangers these nature treasures - called cinipide galligena.

Here is the program with a wonderful selection of local food, freshly cooked from the most natural ingredients growing so lush on the mountains (Monti Lattari) surrounding Scala, high above the Amalfi Coast, from beans to herbs, from potatoes to hazelnuts.

The Menu - you can retrieve that on the Facebook Site Scala Pro Loco

IF you would like to read more about Scala and Surroundings, the lovely Blog "Ciao Amalfi" has a wonderful collection of articles in English waiting for you. Above, you can view the menu - from bean dishes to pasta with potates and speck, pasta with cèpes and chestnuts, gnocchi with chestnuts, butter and sage, followed by the main dishes sausages and broccoli, turkey with chestnuts, and chestnuts desserts, creams, tarts, honey and jam.

Chestnuts products for the Festa della Castagna (from Pro Loco Scala)

And here is the complete program for a typical Sagra - not just food fair, but a celebration of local traditions and artists.