A party organized by the Community Council at the end of the fifteenth century.

The Chestnut Festival has ancient origins that can be traced back to a party organized by the Community Council at the end of the fifteenth century to remember some tragic events that occurred in Soriano in 1489: The attempt to conquer the Orsini castle by the Lord of Vignanello, Pier Paolo Nardini, and the subsequent bloody battle of Fosso del Buon Incontro (The Ditch of the Good Encounter).

The History and the Legend Begin Here

The legend tells us that the approaching Vignanellesi mercenaries were noticed by an old lady, who lived on the hill of Bastia. Overnight she had seen a torch fidgeting around the top of the merlo maschio del Castello (the highest tower of the castle).

Everything was predisposed to the appropriation of the castle, even the killing of the Squire Carvajal. When the Old Lady of Carnaiolo (so she was nicknamed) woke up, she ran to the Sorianesi urging them to face the enemy.

Given the severity of the situation, some of the Sorianese went to the castle, and the rest of them headed towards the road leading to Vignanello. The road is a place that from that day forward was called Fosso del Buon Incontro. They fought against the traitor and his accomplices and threw them out through the tallest battlement of the castle.

Pope Innocent VIII decided that in order to reward the fidelity of the Sorianesi, he proclaimed the Bolla d’oro (Golden Bull), which accorded the fruits and the proceeds to the population before the Apostolic Chamber and authorized the addition of the FIDELITAS to the municipal coat of arms.