Batailles de Reines – Gressan Elimination

The Batailles de Reines, a living tradition of the Aosta Valley

The Batailles de Reines are the most characteristic of the Aosta Valley's peasant traditions: the re-enactment, in an arena, of the natural behaviour of Aostan Red cows, which challenge each other with their horns on the alpine pastures to establish the herd's hierarchy. The clashes are non-violent and end when one of the two cows gives up; the most combative, the reines, are selected and trained by breeders for the Regional Contest.

The Gressan Elimination

The municipality of Gressan, overlooking the Aosta plain in the Aosta Valley Region, hosts one of the autumn eliminations of the Regional Contest organized by the Association Régionale Amis des Batailles de Reines. Placed in the latter part of the calendar, shortly before the final, it is a decisive stage for the cows aiming for qualification.

How the day unfolds

• in the morning, the official weighing of the cows, which determines the weight categories;
• followed by the clashes, divided by categories;
• in the afternoon, the awards ceremony, with the presentation of the flower bouquet to the winners.

Towards the Regional Final

The reines that pass the Gressan elimination compete for access to the regional final, which takes place at the end of October in the Croix-Noire arena in Aosta and crowns the absolute queen of the year. The Gressan event is therefore one of the last and most tense chapters of a season that spans the entire Aosta Valley, from spring to autumn.