Fair history and photo archive
The documented milestones of the event, and a collection of historical photos shared by the people who lived the fair over the years.
An old winter custom
In southern Piedmont and the Ligurian hinterland, farmers already met in winter, before Christmas, to trade the fattened oxen destined for the holiday table. The best animals then travelled on to the shows in Moncalvo, Ceva and Carrù.
The modern Montechiaro fair is born
The event's own branding and communication point to 2001 as the start of the fair as we know it today. The edition numbering collected from local press — from the 4th edition in 2004 to the 24th in 2025 — is consistent with an early-2000s start, though no official source found so far definitively certifies the very first year.
The twinning with Aspremont
Montechiaro d'Acqui's twin-town agreement with the French municipality of Aspremont explains the traditional presence of French tourists and delegations at the fair, documented over the years including official visits from the twin town's mayor.
Regional institutional support
From 2014 the fair was promoted by I.M.A.; from 2016 by A.R.A.P. In 2018, with COALVI's support, the event featured a regional-level livestock parade with the patronage of the Piedmont Region and the presence of the then regional councillor Giorgio Ferrero. From 2019 A.R.A.P.'s patronage returns, joined since then by the Alessandria Chamber of Commerce.
A documentary tells the story of the four fairs
"Vard 'l beu. Una storia del Piemonte. Il Bue Grasso" by Stefano Rogliatti is released, a documentary following Piedmont's four regional fat ox fairs — Carrù, Moncalvo, Nizza Monferrato and Montechiaro d'Acqui — and their shared tradition. Watch the documentary.
An agreement between the four Piedmontese fairs
By municipal resolution no. 21, Montechiaro d'Acqui formally joins an agreement with the municipalities of Carrù, Moncalvo and Nizza Monferrato to jointly promote Piedmont's four regional fat ox fairs.
A community fair, every December 8th
Organised by the municipality of Montechiaro d'Acqui together with the local Pro Loco, Polisportiva and farmers, the fair draws around 2,000 visitors to the exhibition area each year, 15-20 exhibitors and about 50 Piedmontese cattle, with farmers from the local mountain unions and from the provinces of Asti, Cuneo and Liguria.
Sources: local press (L'Ancora, Il Piccolo, Radio Gold), an official report from the municipality of Montechiaro d'Acqui (protocol no. 1506 of June 30th, 2023) and Stefano Rogliatti's documentary. The full set of sources consulted is available on request from the organisers.
Historical photos shared by visitors
A collection of images from the fair's past, published with the permission of those who took or kept them.
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