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 'fat ox' competition and awards under the historic porticoes, showcasing Piemontese cattle the accompanying Sagra del Bollito serves traditional mixed boiled beef in food stalls across the squares, with artisan markets, farm visits and educational farm activities.
- Cold-weather event — dress for a December morning standing under the arcades.
- Come hungry for the bollito misto served across the piazze, 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 morning the best-fattened Piemontese animals are groomed, paraded and weighed up under the town's porticoes, and the good ones take a rosette in front of a crowd that knows exactly what it's looking at.
The eating follows the animal, honestly enough: the Sagra del Bollito sets up across the squares and serves bollito misto — the mixed boiled beef, with its sauces — that this whole tradition exists to produce. There are farm visits and a fattoria didattica for children, and artisan stalls to warm your hands between.
Dress for December and come hungry. The date is above; check the comune for the year's programme.