Fiera di San Michele a Prada

The fair that closes the summer grazing season

The Fiera di San Michele a Prada is celebrated on September 29th, St. Michael's Day, in Prada Bassa, a hamlet of San Zeno di Montagna, in the province of Verona. For centuries, this fair has marked the end of grazing on Monte Baldo: the moment when shepherds bring their herds back down to the valley after the summer season spent in the high-altitude pastures.

Livestock, contracts, and tradition

The fair remains a meeting point for mountain people and shepherds, who here take stock of the alpine season, finalize contracts, and exhibit their cattle in the meadows. The tradition of seasonal grazing was already established during the time of the Republic of Venice, but its roots are even older. Every year, in spring, about three thousand cows ascend to the Baldo pastures to descend again in autumn, around the feast of St. Michael.

A panorama over Garda

The livestock exhibition and the local product market take place in the meadows next to a small Romanesque temple overlooking Lake Garda, in a highly evocative setting. The fair is also an opportunity to discover the pastoral traditions of Monte Baldo and the flavours of the Veronese mountains at the beginning of autumn.