Saint Michael's Fair in Prada

The fair that closes the summer pasture season

The Saint Michael's Fair in Prada is celebrated on September 29th, Saint 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 the mountain pasture season on Monte Baldo: the time 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 transhumance was established as early as the time of the Republic of Venice, but its roots are even older. Every year, in spring, about three thousand cows ascend to the pastures of Monte Baldo to descend again in autumn, around the feast of Saint Michael.

A panorama over Garda

The livestock exhibition and the market for local products 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 flavors of the Veronese mountains at the beginning of autumn.