Antica Fiera del Soco

The Antica Fiera del Soco

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 Antica Fiera del Soco. Its popular motto, "Ghe se de tuto come aea Fiera del Soco" (there's everything like at the Fiera del Soco), 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 the Veneto region 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" is said to 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 Venetian archives.

From a livestock fair to the great modern fair

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

A fair that is also a celebration

Today, the Antica Fiera del Soco is much more than a market: the historic centre is pedestrianised 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 the Veneto region 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 organised by the Municipality and represents one of the most important trade fair appointments in the region.