A Must! The Chestnut Festival in Revest-du-Bion in Provence

Last year, we enjoyed a mild autumn in Provence, which is not always the case in the South of France. The pleasant temperatures meant we could get out cycling and for long walks. It also allowed us to visit some of our favourite brocantes and the semi-annual Antiques, Art, and You fair in L’Isle sur la Sorgue.

We finally made it to the Fête de la Chataigne, a festival of all things chestnuts in Revest Du Bion. I heard about this festival a few years ago, but this was the first time we could visit and experience it ourselves. The village is beautiful and normally quiet, set high on the Albion Plateau, between Simiane La Rotonde, Banon and Sault, surrounded by lavender fields and (as the festival may suggest) forests of sweet chestnut trees. Contributor blog post by Vaucluse Dreamer.

Recipes with Chestnuts

Chestnut Soup for the Holidays

This dish is easy to make chestnut soup perfect for holiday celebrating. Whether you're wanting a toasty lunch in front of the fire or a great accompaniment to a holiday meal, this soup is sure to give you what you need.

Check out this recipe

Chestnut-Pumpkin Risotto with Hazelnuts

Risotto is easy to make as long as you have all your ingredients prepped in advance. Pour everyone a glass of wine and let the conversation flow. The chef needs to balances the stock level as the rice cooks, but it's an easy, vegetarian meal for cooler weather.

Check out this recipe

Creamy Mushroom and Chestnut Soup

This mushroom and chestnut soup was inspired by a recipe from Bizzy Lizzy’s Good Things.

Check out this recipe

Chestnut Festival

The Revest du Bion Fête de la Châtaigne began in October 2000. For one day each year, this village in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence celebrates the chestnut harvest with an agenda focused on the seasonal bounty. Join the fun for a chance to gather chestnuts in the field or attend a mass dedicated to this dried fruit (no chestnuts are not nuts). In addition, each year there is a market with a wide variety of products made with chestnuts and local restaurants’ future chestnuts on their menus.

Revest du Bion

Between Sault and Banon, Revest du Bion is an unspoilt village straddling the Alpes de Haute Provence and the Vaucluse departments. Reasonably remote, Revest du Bion is not on typical tourist itineraries, but certainly worth a visit for the spectacular views of Mont Ventoux and the Monts d’Albion. Market day in Revest du Bion is Friday morning from 8h to 12h30 on Avenue Clemenceau near the Marie.

Julie Whitmarsh

Julie and her husband Andy started visiting the Vaucluse area 25 years ago & over the years have increased the amount of time they spend there with their growing family. She has a deep affection for the area, finding it is a great place to visit, where the whole family can relax and enjoy time together.

She longs for the day when she can ‘up-sticks’ from her home on Dartmoor & relocate to the Luberon and spend her days cycling, walking, visiting markets & brocante fairs and of course enjoying the local food and drink.

Her blog VaucluseDreamer gives her a space to highlight some of her favourite things about the area from places to visit to particular activities that she and her family all enjoy.

She hopes one day it will be a place where she can share the process of renovating a house in France, but at the moment that will have to wait.