Fiera Nazionale di Sua Maestà il Bue Grasso e Sagra del Bollito
A cattle fair that has run since the 1600s: the finest fattened Piemontese oxen are judged under Moncalvo's porticoes while the town serves bollito misto across its squares.
Why it's special
This is the real, agricultural version — prize oxen groomed and paraded, a working fair that predates the country by two centuries, with the Sagra del Bollito feeding everyone the boiled beef the whole thing is built on.
Programme · 2026
388th edition. The comune has fixed the fair proper for Wednesday 2 December 2026, with side events and the restaurant menus running from 29 November to 6 December.
- Cold-weather event, so dress for a December morning standing under the arcades.
- Get there early on fair day: entries open at 7:30 with the traditional bowl of broth, tripe and chickpeas, and the judging and awards run through the morning.
- Come hungry for the bollito, and look for the farm visits and the fattoria didattica if you've kids in tow.
- Details from comune.moncalvo.at.it.
Moncalvo has been judging fat oxen since 1638, which makes this fair older than Italy by a comfortable margin. On a cold December Wednesday the best-fattened Piemontese animals are groomed, paraded and weighed up under the town's porticoes, and the best take a gualdrappa, the prize blanket, in front of a crowd that knows exactly what it's looking at. It starts at half past seven with a bowl of broth, tripe and chickpeas.
The eating follows the animal, honestly enough. The Pro Loco serves bollito misto, the mixed boiled beef with its sauces that this whole tradition exists to produce, all fair day and at Sunday lunches under a heated marquee in Piazza Carlo Alberto, and the town's restaurants put Bue Grasso menus on for the whole week. There are farm and cellar visits, a fattoria didattica for schoolchildren, and market stalls to warm your hands between.
Dress for December and come hungry. The date is above; check the comune for the year's programme.
More events in Monferrato in November 2026 →
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Past editions
| Year | Dates | Programme |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 29 November – 6 December 2026 (fair day Wednesday 2 December) | 388th edition. The comune has fixed the fair proper for Wednesday 2 December 2026, with side events and the restaurant menus running from 29 November to 6 December. Wed 2 Dec – Fiera Nazionale di Sua Maestà il Bue Grasso: Piemontese oxen and steers judged and awarded under the Antichi Portici 29 Nov – 6 Dec – side events, with the Sagra del Bollito and restaurant menus (full programme still to be announced) |
| 2025 | 6–14 December 2025 (fair day Wednesday 10 December) | 387th edition. Rassegna Gastronomica del Bue Grasso in eleven Moncalvo-area restaurants all week. Sun 7 Dec – Sagra del Bollito di Bue Grasso lunch by the Pro Loco under the heated marquee ("Palabue") in Piazza Carlo Alberto; antiques market under the porticoes from 8:00; open farms, cellars (in Moncalvo and Grazzano Badoglio) and olive groves from 10:00; Civic Museum open Mon 8 Dec – 20th Giornata dell'Olio, "Olio Evo, Razza Piemontese e Vino": masterclasses, market, show cooking Wed 10 Dec, from 7:30 – the fair: entries with broth, tripe and chickpeas, judging on the ring from 9:30, "Stima del Peso" weight-guessing game at 10:30, non-stop "Buji tut al di" bollito by the Pro Loco from 11:00, awards of the gualdrappe across 14 sections around 12:00 (heaviest Piemontese ox, Gran Premio del Bue Grasso), parade of the winners at 12:15; agricultural fair in Piazza Carlo Alberto, food market in Piazza Garibaldi Fri 12 Dec – Fattoria Didattica for schools, "Conosciamo la carne e le sue origini" Sun 14 Dec – more farm, cellar and olive-grove visits; Pro Loco closing lunch under the Palatenda at 12:30 |