A festive autumn

Tradition meets merriment: the harvest festival

In the Valle Isarco/Eisacktal valley, autumn is celebrated with happy hearts and richly laid tables. Experience the traditional harvest festival parades with your family!

Alarm clock? Not needed. The church bells are already ringing out joyfully to welcome the day. Sara and Anton look down from the balcony of their chalet onto the autumn nature. “Today is Harvest Festival!” says Dad, while the kids’ favourite auntie is busy working on her outfit.

Breakfast is a real treat: freshly baked bread, homemade jams, fresh apple juice. And treats await the family outside, too: The air is crystal clear and fresh, and nature is showing off its most vibrant colours, like the gold of the sun-kissed mountains, the dark green of the forests, and the bright blue of the sky. The family sets off for Sterzing, where the traditional harvest festival is being held.

Harvest festival processions are organised in many towns and villages in South Tyrol, with decorated floats and freshly harvested produce. The children point enthusiastically at the woven corn wreaths, the farmers in traditional costumes, and the tractors loaded with apples. Everyone enjoys the farmers’ market featuring local producers, where honey, Wipptal valley herbal teas, fruit juices and syrups, homemade baked treats, and much more are on offer. An unmissable part of the festivities: the freshly roasted chestnuts, a real autumn treat.

In the evening, South Tyrol’s best traditional autumn dishes are served at a richly laid table: Knödel dumplings, Speck bacon, Tirtlan pastries with spinach or sauerkraut filling, barley soup, salt meat, and (of course) roasted chestnuts. The children enjoy naturally cloudy apple juice, while the grown-ups sip young wine from that year’s harvest. Grandma tells stories from her youth, and the family simply enjoys the time together and the tasty delights.

Harvest festival is more than just a tradition in South Tyrol: It’s a moment of connection, gratitude, and enjoyment. A moment that Sara and Anton will take home with them in their hearts.

The Eisendle family
Alpura Retreat

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