This is what a man said to me, almost proud and touched, while bringing me back to my car at Monterole, since I was a bit late, after one of my exploration of the high trails of Lunigiana.
Indeed it was very evident: chestnut trees were loaded with fruits, of small size because of the little rain, but in great number, also fallen on my camper van window. But this gentleman could not stay without noticing the fact: during the last years chestnut trees were in deep crisis, because of the attack of the Asian chestnut gall wasp: defoliated during summer and no fruits at all.
Then, between 2001 and 2015 a campaign of biological control by means of a specific parasitoid was put in force and it seems that it helped: fruits were back.
It was pleasant to hear the comments about chestnut fruits back again, like a liberation from a nightmare, the recovery of something  precious. Mu day could not have a better end, after the demanding ascent to the high ridge and the crossing through unknown trails, along the Lunigiana mountains.

Chestnut fruits are back. Filippo D’Antuono. piudimille.com. All rights reserved

Chestnut tree groves at  Monterole