Fiocca Festival

A Unique Tradition in Baulin

The Fiocca Festival is one of the most characteristic events in the Aosta Valley, dedicated to "fiocca," the traditional Aosta Valley whipped cream. It takes place in the Baulin pasture, a hamlet of the Municipality of Avise at about 1,700 meters above sea level, at the foot of Valgrisenche, in a highly evocative alpine setting.

The Fiocca and the Ice Caves

The heart of the festival is the preparation of the fiocca: the cream is whipped vigorously by hand, using the fouets, traditional birch whisks, inside the Gran Barmé. This is a natural cave from which the icy air of a glacier hidden in the mountain emerges: in Baulin, there are cavities that preserve ice all year round, once used by the inhabitants as real natural refrigerators. It is precisely that cold that allows the cream to be whipped to perfection, according to an ancient gesture passed down from generation to generation.

A Festival Born in 1972

The festival was born in 1972 to celebrate the Patron Saints Peter and Paul and is organized every year by the Pro Loco and the Comité des Traditions d'Avise. Now over fifty years old, it is an event deeply rooted in the identity of Avise and the entire Aosta Valley community.

A Day in the Pasture

The festival offers guided excursions in the area in the morning, an outdoor lunch with traditional dishes — polenta and carbonada, soça, brossa, and local cheeses — and, in the afternoon, the free distribution of fiocca to all attendees, the highlight that attracts many visitors to the pasture each year.