Saint Mark's Fair

A tradition spanning centuries

The Saint Mark's Fair is one of the most deeply rooted events in the collective memory of Montecopiolo, a mountain municipality in the Province of Rimini in Emilia-Romagna, the highest in the province by altitude. Every year, on April 25th, the streets of the historic center of Villagrande — the municipal capital, located at over a thousand meters above sea level in the heart of the Sasso Simone and Simoncello Interregional Natural Park — fill with stalls, market stands, and visitors from all the neighboring towns.

Origins and name

The fair takes its name from the homonymous Mount San Marco, near which it was held in ancient times. Originally, the event lasted two days, dedicated to Saint Mark and the Ascension. Since 1906, the fair was moved inside the inhabited center of Villagrande, where it still takes place today: more than a century after its establishment, it continues to attract a large number of participants, a sign of a vitality that time has not diminished.

What to expect

The Saint Mark's Fair retains the genuine character of an Apennine village fair. For one day, the village of Villagrande transforms into a large open-air market, with stalls selling various goods, local products, and the convivial atmosphere typical of mountain spring festivals. It's an opportunity to rediscover a village in the upper Montefeltro area, now part of the Rimini province (Montecopiolo passed from the Province of Pesaro and Urbino to Rimini in 2021), and to immerse yourself in the landscape of the Sasso Simone and Simoncello Park.

• Market and stalls along the town streets
• Typical Apennine products and local gastronomy
• Natural setting of the Sasso Simone and Simoncello Park
• Village festival atmosphere in the hamlets of Montefeltro

The context: Villagrande and the Park

Villagrande di Montecopiolo is also a winter ski resort and a summer hiking destination, at the foot of the famous rocky masses of Sasso Simone (1204 m) and Sasso Simoncello. The Saint Mark's Fair ideally opens the village's spring season, blending the market dimension with the rediscovery of the territory. The event is organized by the Pro Loco Montecopiolo, in collaboration with the Municipality.