San Chiaffredo Fair (Patronal Feast)

The patronal feast of Saluzzo

The San Chiaffredo Fair is the most important popular festival in Saluzzo, a city of the Marquisate in the province of Cuneo, in the heart of Piedmont. Dedicated to the city's patron saint, it is celebrated every year in early September and officially kicks off the so-called "Settembre Saluzzese", the rich calendar of events that accompanies the end of summer in the town at the foot of Monviso.

Who was San Chiaffredo

Chiaffredo (in Piedmontese San Ciafrè) is venerated as the patron saint of Saluzzo together with San Costanzo. Tradition identifies him as a Roman soldier of the legendary Theban Legion who, instead of being martyred at Agaunum, took refuge in Piedmont and met his death in the upper Po Valley, in Crissolo, where between 1440 and 1441 the Marquis Ludovico I of Saluzzo had the martyr sanctuary erected. For centuries, popular devotion has inextricably linked the city to its saint, celebrated on the first Sunday of September.

The great fair and the market

The civil heart of the festival is the fair, one of the largest and oldest in the Saluzzo area. On Sunday, the stalls are concentrated in the squares of the center, while on Monday the fair expands into all the streets of the nineteenth-century district with hundreds of commercial stands, to which the exhibitors of the Foro Boario are added. The streets of the historic center are transformed for an entire day into an immense open-air market.

The Agricultural Machinery Exhibition

Alongside the patronal feast, the Agricultural Machinery Exhibition takes place, a national reference point for the agricultural sector that attracts exhibitors and visitors from all over Piedmont and beyond. Set up in the large square of the Foro Boario in Via Don Soleri, it presents tractors, machinery, and the latest technological innovations in the sector, accompanied by the traditional Italian Friesian Cattle Exhibition which rewards the zootechnical excellence of the region.

Music, dance, and folklore

Throughout the festivities, the center of Saluzzo comes alive with concerts, ballroom dancing evenings, shows, and cultural initiatives. Among the traditional events, the "Canta San Ciafrè" choral review stands out, bringing together local choirs in the spirit of friendship and tradition, as well as musical evenings in the squares. There is also a funfair for children and gastronomic moments with typical products from the province of Cuneo.

Between faith and tradition

The religious dimension remains central: the solemn procession with the statue of the Saint crosses the city streets, attracting the faithful from the whole territory. The festival thus unites the spirituality of the Saluzzo community, the rural identity of the Marquisate, and the convivial spirit of a great village fair, in an event that every year marks the beginning of the Saluzzo autumn.