The chestnut was once the “poor man’s bread”. It only began to decline with the spread of corn and other cereal crops in the nineteenth century. Prior to that, it had been a fundamental food staple for Ticino’s rural communities since Roman times, and particularly in the Middle Ages. This is why the chestnut woods became a source of wealth and pride for the various patriciates. The woods in Robasacco are among the finest in Ticino and have been restored and regenerated. Furthermore, the presence of chestnut trees, some of which are many years old, in the middle of a meadow set aside for pasture helps to create great biodiversity within the ecosystem.
