Italian Chestnut Honey – Intensely Nutty, Buttery & Very Pure

🐝 Back Story

This honey is the result of a journey into the heart of Italy’s Apennine Mountains, where I visited two passionate beekeepers—Carolina and Stefano. This was after receiving a sample of their chestnut honey that stopped me in my tracks. I've sold many chestnut honeys over the years, particularly from Greece, where they are typically darker, more bitter, and derived from honeydew as much as from nectar.

But this one, as I discovered on my trip, has a completely different character.

I travelled south from Bologna – where I was attending a Honey Sensory Analysis course —and took a train to Rome where I hired a car. From there it was an 87 mile drive deep into the Apennine Mountains - a region I’d never visited before: a remote area with mountains up to 2700 metres that are blanketed on the lower slopes with ancient sweet chestnut trees.

I stayed in a quiet mountain town in an old apartment—un appartamento d’epoca—where Caterina, the elderly landlady, went out of her way to make me feel welcome.

Then the next morning, I met Carolina and Stefano at their small packing facility. From there, we climbed into their pickup truck and headed up into the forested mountains. Eventually, leaving the paved road and followed a rugged track to a peaceful meadow at the forest's edge. There, nestled at the edge of the forest were the hives—surrounded by flowering chestnuts and alive with bees weaving through the warm early summer air into the canopy.

Carolina explained to me that chestnut trees produce such an abundance of nectar that, during flowering, the bees focus on nothing else. The lab tests confirmed it: 99% chestnut pollen and an electrical conductivity of 2.69—the highest mineral content I’ve ever seen in a honey.

I valued the time I spent with Carolina and Stefano, they had a passion and commitment that fitted with our Raw Honey Shop perfectly.

Please be aware that this isn’t just another chestnut honey. It’s smooth, buttery, and deeply nutty, with a mellow bitterness. A monofloral nectar honey from a beautiful isolated Italian region.

🍯 Summary

This raw Italian chestnut honey from Carolina and Stefano is a deep, nutty, and buttery delight with subtle bitterness. Sourced from ancient chestnut forests in the Apennines, it boasts unparalleled purity and mineral richness, making it a standout among chestnut honeys.

🔍 Product Highlights

• Produced in the Apennine Mountains, central Italy
• Lab-tested: 99% chestnut pollen
• Electrical conductivity: 2.69 (high mineral content)
• Harvested by Carolina and Stefano
• 100% Raw
• Cold-pressed
• Coarse-filtered
• Unpasteurised and unblended

🌸 Aroma

A robust and earthy aroma with hints of wood and leather, characteristic of high-quality chestnut honey. Less sharp than Greek chestnut varieties, it has a warm, rounded depth that comes from nectar rather than honeydew.

🍽️ Flavour

Rich and nutty with buttery undertones, this honey has a gentle bitterness that enhances rather than overwhelms. Compared to Greek chestnut honey—which tends to be darker, more intensely bitter, and honeydew-based—this Italian version offers a smoother, more complex flavour. Expect notes of toasted hazelnut, caramel, and a whisper of cocoa, creating a deeply satisfying taste experience.

🎨 Colour

Dark amber with reddish hues, indicating its high mineral content and exceptional purity. Clear and glossy when runny, with a smooth crystallisation when set.

🌍 Origin

This honey is harvested in the Chestnut forests of Italy’s Apennine Mountains, where ancient sweet chestnut trees have grown for centuries. The region is remote and ecologically pristine, with no pesticide use or intensive agriculture nearby. The bees forage during a narrow flowering window in early summer, when the chestnut trees produce abundant nectar. Because the trees dominate the landscape and offer such a rich source of nectar, the bees focus almost exclusively on them—resulting in a highly pure, monofloral honey. This setting—elevated, untouched, and rich in biodiversity—makes it an exceptional place for honey production.

🍴 Common Uses

• Cheese Pairings: Drizzle over aged cheeses like Parmigiano Reggiano, Pecorino Toscano, or Gorgonzola to enhance their flavours with the honey's nutty and slightly bitter notes.
• Chestnut Flour Desserts: Incorporate into traditional Italian treats such as castagnaccio (chestnut flour cake) or caggionetti (sweet chestnut ravioli).
• Savoury Glazes: Use as a glaze for roasted meats like pork, duck, or game birds.
• Salad Dressings: Combine with brown butter and vinegar for a warm, nutty dressing for roasted vegetables.
• Breakfast Enhancer: Spread on rustic bread or toast, paired with butter.
• Dessert Topping: Drizzle over panna cotta, gelato, or roasted fruits for a bittersweet lift.

🧊 How to store your honey

To preserve its natural potency, store the honey in a cool, dark place. Light and heat degrade the enzymes that contribute to antibacterial activity. Keeping it away from light and high temperatures helps maintain its flavour, texture, and active properties.

🍯 Why Raw Honey is Different from Processed Honey

Raw honey comes from the hive to the jar with minimal interference. Most supermarket honey is processed to look attractive—drained of pollen, heated, and blended. Raw honey varies from batch to batch because it’s not factory-processed or heated. It changes with season, climate, and bee forage. We update this fact sheet based on the current batch.

🌀 Crystallisation

Raw honey crystallises naturally (so we cannot accept returns on crystallised honey). We indicate on the site whether the honey is runny or crystallised, but this may change. If you want runny honey and it has crystallised, it's easy to return it to runny. Check our Runny Honey Guide or read more on crystallisation.

🏪 About Us

At The Raw Honey Shop, we believe honey should be RAW, unpasteurised, and 100% natural. Since 2008, we've introduced customers to pure, all-natural honey. Our catalogue includes over 30 raw and organic varieties. Thank you for visiting. We look forward to sharing a world of raw, pure, and truly wonderful honey—the way the bees intended it!

📸 Representative Photo Disclaimer

Product photo is representative. The colour and texture of raw honey may vary by season and crystallisation level. Please check the product title and description for accurate contents.