Ancient Soco Fair

The Ancient Soco Fair

In Grisignano di Zocco, in the province of Vicenza, one of the oldest and largest fairs in the Veneto region takes place every September: the Ancient Soco Fair. Its popular motto, "Ghe se de tuto come aea Fiera del Soco" (there's everything like at the Soco Fair), has entered common local parlance and well expresses the encyclopedic scope of this event.

Origins between history and legend

The fair's roots are lost in the Middle Ages. According to tradition, devotional commemorations began around 1267, when merchants and artisans from Veneto gathered to sell their products to pilgrims visiting a Marian shrine in the countryside between Grisignano and Arlesega, on the border between the provinces of Vicenza and Padua. The name "Soco" would derive from a legend of an apparition: the Madonna is said to have appeared to two peasants near a zocco, a tree stump cut at the base. The first official document mentioning the fair dates back to 1555 and is preserved in the Venetian archives.

From livestock fair to the great modern fair

Until the 1960s, the Soco Fair was a major rural economic event, held on the first Monday after September 8th. The cattle trade, especially horses, was at its heart: prices set in Grisignano remained valid throughout Veneto for six months. Since 1983, the modern exhibition phase began, and the fair has progressively transformed into a large trade show with hundreds of exhibitors from all over Italy.

A fair that is also a celebration

Today, the Ancient Soco Fair is much more than a market: the historic center is pedestrianized and hosts commercial exhibitors, food stalls, a funfair, an open-air market, and cultural, sporting, and social activities. Over the years, the fair's stage has hosted major Italian entertainment stars, from Raffaella Carrà to Gianni Morandi to Loredana Bertè. Since 2014, sections dedicated to promoting tourism and the excellences of Veneto have been added.

Grisignano di Zocco

A municipality in the Vicenza plain on the border with Padua, Grisignano di Zocco experiences its quintessential identity event in its fair. The event is organized by the Municipality and represents one of the most important trade fair appointments in the region.