Fiera del Bue Grasso — Montechiaro d'Acqui
Montechiaro d'Acqui's regional fat-ox fair, held for the Immacolata: breeders show prize Piedmontese cattle at the fair ground in Montechiaro Piana, the best animals get cups and embroidered saddle-cloths, and the day fills out with a Christmas market, a tractor parade and blessing, a truffle-dog contest and a big bollito lunch.
Why it's special
It's one of the December fat-ox fairs of Piedmont, alongside its 'twins' in Carrù, Moncalvo and Nizza Monferrato, but small enough that the cattle judging, the blessing of the tractors, the Christmas market and the bollito lunch all happen within a short walk of each other.
Programme · 2024
23rd edition, the Fiera del Bue Grasso e altri capi di razza piemontese, run by the Comune with the Polisportiva Montechiaro.
- The cattle are on show from about 8:30 in the morning and the judging ends around 12:30, so come early if you want to see the animals before the prizes.
- The Christmas market runs roughly 8:30–17:00 in Piazza Europa and Via della Fiera.
- For the bollito lunch at the Polisportiva hall (the former kiln) book ahead; in 2024 the lunch line was +39 347 7093049.
- Comune: +39 0144 92058.
Montechiaro d'Acqui is a village south-west of Acqui Terme, split between the old upper village and Montechiaro Piana on the valley floor. Every year on the Immacolata, 8 December, the fair ground in Via della Fiera at Montechiaro Piana hosts its Fiera del Bue Grasso, a regional fair of fattened oxen and other Piedmontese cattle.
The morning belongs to the animals: breeders bring their best oxen, and after the blessing of the cattle a jury of technicians and vets hands out cups and the gualdrappe, the embroidered saddle-cloths that are the fair's real prize. Around it there's a Christmas market with local produce such as robiola, honey and hazelnut sweets, a parade of tractors up to the Pieve di Sant'Anna for the blessing of the machines, a truffle-dog contest in the woods and flag-wavers from the Palio di Asti. Lunch is bollito misto, served by the village Polisportiva and local restaurants.
It's one of the December fat-ox fairs of Piedmont, together with Carrù, Moncalvo and the Fiera del Bue Grasso in Nizza Monferrato. In 2021 the date moved to the following Sunday to avoid clashing with Moncalvo, so check the date each year.
2026: the Regione Piemonte's 2026 calendar lists the 25th edition on 8 November 2026, a month earlier than the usual 8 December. No announcement from the Comune or the local press has confirmed it yet, so it isn't shown as an upcoming date here.
Past editions
| Year | Dates | Programme |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Sunday 8 December 2024 | 23rd edition, the Fiera del Bue Grasso e altri capi di razza piemontese, run by the Comune with the Polisportiva Montechiaro. From 8:30 – breeders show prize oxen and other Piedmontese cattle at the fair ground; Christmas market and local-produce stalls (robiola, wine, salumi, honey, oil, hazelnut sweets, jams) in Piazza Europa and nearby streets until 17:00 9:00 – tractor show in Via della Fiera, then a parade to the Pieve di Sant'Anna for the blessing of farm machinery and 10:00 mass 10:30 – timed truffle-dog hunt in the 'Laghetti' wood (Tartufai del Monferrato) 11:00 and 14:00 – flag-wavers of the Palio di Asti in the streets; chainsaw wood carving by 'Barba Brisiu' by the old kiln chimney 12:30 – blessing of the cattle and prize-giving: cups and the fair's 'gualdrappe' saddle-cloths for the best animals, judged by technicians and vets Lunch – the gran pranzo del Bue Grasso at the Polisportiva hall in the former kiln Afternoon and evening – tractor-drivers' games and weighing contests, live broadcast by Radio Valle Belbo, a 'Christmas tree on four wheels' made of tractors at 20:15 and the 21:00 'tombola del bue grasso' (first prize 10 kg of bollito) |
| 2023 | Friday 8 December 2023 | 22nd edition, the Fiera di Natale e del Bue Grasso. 9:00 – tractor parade from Via della Fiera to the Pieve di Sant'Anna and blessing of the machines; 10:00 mass 8:30–17:00 – Christmas market and local-produce fair 10:30 – truffle-hunting contest in the 'Laghetti' area (three truffles in three minutes, Associazione Tartufai del Monferrato) At the fair ground – folk music from 'Cui da Ribote', hot buseca, vin brûlé and roast chestnuts 12:30 – cattle blessing, then cups, prizes and gualdrappe for the best animals Lunch – bollito misto of certified meat, tripe and ravioli in fat-ox broth, at the restaurants Margherita, Da Neta and Vecchia Fornace or in the heated municipal hall; takeaway bollito too |