L'Aperitivo del Lardo
Every 26 December at 12:30 the Pro Loco of Nizza Monferrato offers the town an aperitivo under the Campanon, the bell tower of the town hall. It commemorates the day in 1798 when the Nicesi chased off an armed royalist mob.
Why it's special
It's a small, very local tradition with a good story. 'Dare il lardo' (giving someone the lard) still means teaching them a hard lesson in Nizza, and the Santo Stefano aperitivo keeps the 1798 episode alive.
Programme · 2026
The Pro Loco's aperitivo for the town under the Campanon in Piazza del Municipio, recalling the Nicesi's 1798 stand against the royalist crowd.
- Be in Piazza del Municipio under the Campanon by 12:30 on 26 December.
- It's short and informal, a natural stop on a Christmas-week stroll through Nizza's centre.
On 26 December 1798, according to the comune's account of the episode, a crowd armed with guns, sabres and pitchforks marched on Nizza Monferrato from the surrounding villages, shouting for the King. Nizza was then on the Republican side. The crowd disarmed the guard, tore down the liberty tree and demanded bread and good wine. While a delegation pretended to negotiate, a group of young Nicesi waited out of sight with cudgels. Someone shouted "wait and we'll give you the lard too!", and they charged and put the attackers to flight.
Since then, dare il lardo in Nizza has meant teaching someone a hard lesson. Every year on Santo Stefano at 12:30 the Pro Loco remembers it in the simplest way: an aperitivo for everyone under the Campanon, the bell tower of the town hall that rang the alarm that day.
It doesn't last long, but it's an easy stop if you're in Nizza between Christmas and New Year.