From the Middle Ages, the monks of the abbey of Collobrières in the Var department appreciated and exploited the chestnut trees of the Maures forest. The wooded area then protected the village, located near the Gulf of Saint-Tropez, from invasions. Since then, Collobrières has established itself as the capital of chestnuts, with 2,224 acres (900 ha) of chestnut groves and average harvests reaching 600 tons per year. An emblematic product of the Var terroir, the chestnut is celebrated there at the arrival of each new harvest on the last three weekends of October.