Natale a San Marzano Oliveto
The Pro Loco's Christmas season in San Marzano Oliveto runs from early December to Epiphany. Over a handful of dates there are tombole in the village, a polenta lunch or a nativity play in some years, and an Epiphany concert in the parish church to close.
Why it's special
It's a village Christmas made by the village. The Pro Loco runs it, the parish choirs of Canelli and Nizza sing the Epiphany concert, and in some years the Cumpania 'd la Riua stages 'Il Gelindo', the old Piedmontese nativity folk play, on Christmas Eve. In 2024 the Alpini served vin brulé after midnight Mass.
Programme · 2025
The Pro Loco San Marzano Oliveto's Christmas calendar. The tombole were at 21:00 in Piazza Umberto I.
- The polenta lunch needs booking (tel.
- 347 2550671 in 2025).
- The tombole are cheap and very local, at €1 a card in 2024.
- The Epiphany concert in the parish church is the event most worth driving up for.
- The Pro Loco publishes the full calendar on its Facebook page in early December.
Between the 8 December holiday and Epiphany, the Pro Loco San Marzano Oliveto fills the village calendar with a run of small Christmas dates. None of it is put on for visitors. This is a hill village keeping itself company through the dark weeks, but it's an honest look at a Piedmontese Christmas if you're staying nearby.
The backbone is the tombola, the Italian Christmas bingo, played on winter evenings for prizes from local businesses. Around it the programme changes from year to year. In 2024 the schoolchildren gave a Christmas recital, and on Christmas Eve the Cumpania 'd la Riua staged Il Gelindo in Piazza della Chiesa. It's the old Piedmontese nativity folk play, in which a shepherd stumbles into the Christmas story in dialect. The Alpini handed round vin brulé after midnight Mass. In 2025 the season opened instead with a 'Polenta non stop' lunch on 8 December.
In both documented years the season ended on the eve of Epiphany with a concert in the parish church, sung by the parish choirs of Canelli and Nizza Monferrato. In some years the Pro Loco has also held a Christmas market around 8 December. The latest programmes are in the table above. The new calendar usually appears on the Pro Loco's page in early December.
Past editions
| Year | Dates | Programme |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 8 December 2025 – 5 January 2026 | The Pro Loco San Marzano Oliveto's Christmas calendar. The tombole were at 21:00 in Piazza Umberto I. Mon 8 December, 12:30 – 'Polenta non stop', a Pro Loco polenta lunch (booking required) Fri 19 December – Christmas tombola Sun 28 December – tombola to welcome 2026 Sun 4 January – winter tombola Mon 5 January – Epiphany concert in the parish church |
| 2024 | 18 December 2024 – 5 January 2025 | The Pro Loco San Marzano Oliveto's Christmas calendar. Wed 18 December, 14:30 – Christmas recital by the children of the primary school and the 'Il Giardino dei Re' nursery, in the parish church (Piazza Giovanni XXIII) Tue 24 December, 22:00 – 'La Leggenda Natalizia del Gelindo', the Piedmontese nativity play, by the Cumpania 'd la Riua in Piazza della Chiesa. After midnight Mass the Alpini serve vin brulé and hot chocolate. Sat 28 December, 21:00 – winter tombola in the Chiesa dei Battuti (€1 a card) Sat 4 January, 21:00 – New Year tombola in the Chiesa dei Battuti Sun 5 January – Epiphany concert in the parish church by the parish and inter-parish choirs of Canelli and Nizza Monferrato |