Each autumn, the Natisone Valleys come alive with the Burnjak – the traditional chestnut festival whose name derives from local Slovene dialect. Set against a backdrop of Slovene music and song, this celebration offers visitors a window into local life through traditional crafts demonstrations and ancient children’s games. The festival celebrates the Benecia region’s abundant chestnut forests, which have sustained local communities for centuries. These woodlands not only provided essential food but were also the foundation of a vital trading economy, as villagers would journey to the plains below, exchanging their prized chestnuts for corn and other staples.
