Fera de San Maté

The Malé Livestock Fair

The Fera de San Maté is one of the most deeply rooted events in the calendar of Malé, the main town of Val di Sole, located in the province of Trento in the heart of Trentino-Alto Adige. Its name, in the local Solandro dialect, refers to Saint Matthew, whose feast day (September 21st) has for centuries marked the time when mountain communities would assess the alpine grazing season before the arrival of autumn. Even today, the fair is held in mid-September, transforming the town center into a large open-air market bustling with farmers, breeders, artisans, and visitors.

The Livestock Competition and Cattle Exhibition

The heart of the event is the cattle exhibition, held at Piazzale Guardi, where local farms showcase their finest livestock. The day culminates in the livestock competition and the subsequent awards ceremony, a highly anticipated moment for breeders that recognizes the quality and care of cattle raised in the valley's pastures and mountain dairies. Simultaneously, the traditional market winds through the town streets, featuring stalls with local products, handicrafts, agricultural equipment, and regional gastronomic specialties.

Casolét and the Cheese FestiVal di Sole

The Fera de San Maté is a key stop on the Cheese FestiVal di Sole, a traveling festival that traverses the entire Val di Sole in September to showcase the world of mountain dairies and their dairy products. The absolute star is Casolét, the valley's signature cheese: a small mountain cheese whose name derives from the Latin caseolus, meaning "little cheese." Alongside the Fera de San Maté, the festival includes other stops such as the Fera dei Sèt in Ossana, the Agriculture Festival in Val di Peio, Latte in Festa with the Desmalghjada in Val di Rabbi, and the mountain cheese auction at Castel Caldes.

A Living Tradition in Val di Sole

More than just a fair, the Fera de San Maté is a collective ritual that celebrates the farming and pastoral identity of Val di Sole. For one day, the Municipality of Malé reconnects with the rhythm of the agricultural seasons, offering residents and tourists an authentic immersion into Trentino's mountain culture, defined by field work, animal husbandry, transhumance, and genuine flavors. It is the perfect opportunity to visit the main town of Val di Sole, taste alpine cheeses, and discover a rural heritage that remains vibrant today.