Piemonte Events and Sights

Southern Piemonte has the most fantastic range of events and activities throughout the year. They nearly all seem to be based around one of three things- wine, food or history and pageantry. And there is plenty of food and wine at all of the pageantry events! Medieval castles, Napoleonic battle fields, museums and churches together with shopping at top Italian designer outlets all compete with the simple pleasures of the countryside for your time and attention.

Some of the major events that take place within easy driving distance of the house are listed here. Throughout the year, Italians will find reasons to celebrate and there are events virtually every week of the year, from wine tasting and historic re-enactments to simple celebrations of the joys of living.

Moncalvo Truffle Fair – (Last 2 weeks in October)
A prime cultural and gastronomical event, the truffle fair takes place each year on the last 2 Sundays in October. The fair is not only relished by the Piemontese, but lures many visitors from abroad, including top chefs from the best hotels around the world.
The atmosphere is certainly always international. The main piazza is packed with locals and tourists buying salamis, cheeses, fresh pasta and of course truffles. Local wine producers are always in evidence and there are excellent wines for tasting including, Barbera, Cortese, Dolcetto and Moscato.

Visitors need to book restaurants early for both lunch and dinner as the large crowds linger on well into the late evening.

Link to  Moncalvo Truffle Fair

‘ Vignaledanza’ ( Festival of Dance )  Vignale  Monferrato  - Mid June to early August.

The festival of Dance is celebrated every year in Vignale. The main piazza is taken over by a large stage for every form of traditional dance, including ballet, and new trends and experiments in dance choreography and music.
This is a truly wonderful occasion not to be missed so check the local posters and the Tourist office publicising the events and book tickets early as all shows are almost always ‘sold out’.

Full details of the 2008 programme can be found at   www.vignaledanza.com

The Palio - Asti (3rd Sunday in September)
The Asti Palio is reputed to be the oldest in Italy, dating back to 1275, when Astigian jockeys raced through and over the vineyards surrounding Alba. At the heart of the programme are the bareback horse races around the triangular track in the main piazza of Asti. The pageantry that surrounds the event includes over 1,200 inhabitants in full medieval costume representing each of the 21 ‘commune’ of Asti and the surrounding area.

These 21 commune parade through the streets to the beat of hundreds of drums and one of the highlights is the flag waving and throwing displays, where huge banners are tossed high in the air in a fantastic display of colour and noise. These ceremonies both open and close the Palio.

The Palio degli Asini at Alba – 1st Sunday in October
The Palio of Asini – Donkeys – deliberately mocks the Asti Palio and, since 1932, has developed its own status in the region. In 1275, the people of Asti raced for the Asti Palio under the walls and through the vineyards of Alba and, allegedly, wreaked havoc in the area.

Thereafter the Asti Palio was run in the city of Asti and the Albese jockeys participated and registered many victories until they were no longer invited to take part. This led to the foundation of the alternative Palio - to play down and diminish the importance of the defeat in 1275. As in Asti there is a major historic parade, with over 500 participants in full medieval costume supporting an event renowned for its humour and casual attitude.

Antiques Markets
The antiques market is set up in the main squares at Asti, Nizza Monferrato and Moncalvo and other towns throughout the region and is a monthly event. The markets are very large and a potter round every stall can take the best part of two hours – this excludes stopping at stalls, enquiring about prices and haggling for the best deal available.

There is a huge range of items available, from antique furniture, paintings and mirrors, refurbished ancient farm implements and tools and ceramics to glassware and objets d’art.

The Siege of Canelli – 3rd weekend in June
This celebration re-enacts the siege of Canelli in 1613. The small local garrison was supported by the local citizens, many of who lost their lives successfully defending the city.  As the official programme notes:

“ It is a celebration without embellishment. For two days more than 1,000 Canellesi wearing the traditional costumes of the period and always acting as if they were actually taking part in the most crucial events of a siege, re-create the atmosphere and the reality of a town under siege. The visitor becomes both protagonist and witness of the events, actor and spectator mingling with the officers and soldiers or with the farmers and their animals, sitting in inns and taverns often haunted by evil-doers and beggars…”

This is one of the best festivals you can visit; the battles are part of the occasion and the sights and sounds are very special.

Douja D’or   ( Asti)  - 2 weeks in mid September
The Douja is named after an ancient, pot-bellied Piemontese jug and is a festival for the taste buds and senses. The major attraction is the row upon row of wine, much of which is available for tasting. This is complemented by a wide array of food and musical performances.

Festivall Delle Sagre, (Asti) – 2nd Saturday and Sunday of September
In 2004, the main square in Asti was over-flowing with over 250,000 visitors who managed to consume over 800,000 portions of food at this feast/festival. The square is packed with small stalls and catering facilities, where each region promotes its own speciality food and visitors either eat on the move or can compete for one of the available chairs.
Tractors pull trailers that are decorated to present a typical local scene through the streets. This could be livestock grazing, a small house built on the back of the trailer, or the production of wine. This is an ideal opportunity to check out a wide variety of local dishes without having to travel throughout the region.

‘Festi d’Estate’   ( Summer Festivals). Throughout  July and August.
Throughout the Monferrato region there are local festivals in nearly all the villages and towns. These are too numerous to mention here but are all very well publicised by way of large posters throughout the region. These can last for up to a week . During the day there are markets selling local produce and in the evenings there are carnivals with live music, dancing etc. Naturally,food and wine are in abundance. Families celebrate local traditions and culture that is so important to the Italian way of life.
Some of the grander, noteworthy festivals, very near Villa Gotta are:

  • Viarigi     last Sunday in August
  • Fubine     last week in July
  • Vignale Monferrato     first week in August
  • Moncalvo     late October

Sacro Monte di Crea
No visit to the area is complete without a trip to this ancient site, which has existed since medieval times.
The site has 23 chapels and 5 hermitages scattered throughout a large park, all connected by paths. The chapels narrate the life of the Virgin Mary and have a number of magnificent life size statues. There is a wonderful 13th century statue of the Madonna but little is known of its origin.

Sacro Monte di Crea is located on one of the highest hills in Monferrato, close to Serralunga di Crea, to the west of Casale Monferrato. The road from here to Ponzano offers an unforgettable landscape of the hills and valleys and spectacular views stretching as far as the Alps.