San Giovenale Patronal Festival
The patron saint festival of Fossano, blending faith, tradition, and a funfair
About San Giovenale
San Giovenale, the soul of Fossano
The San Giovenale Patronal Festival is the most cherished event of the year for Fossano, a city in the Province of Cuneo, Piedmont. Dedicated to the city's patron saint, the festival traditionally takes place around the first Sunday of May, weaving together spiritual and popular dimensions over a few days: solemn religious celebrations, processions through the city streets, concerts, as well as a large market fair and a funfair that bring the city to life.
A devotion spanning over seven centuries
San Giovenale, the first bishop of Narni who died in 376 AD, has been linked to Fossano since 1279, the year the city received his relics. The patronal festival has roots in the Middle Ages: the first documented celebration dates back to May 1314. Since then, the devotion has never ceased, once attracting pilgrims from the alpine valleys and remaining to this day the heart of Fossano's identity.
Between faith and popular tradition
The centerpiece is the procession that winds through the historic center, featuring the Arrigo Boito Philharmonic, costumed performers, and flag-wavers re-enacting the Princes of Acaja. Along Via Roma, the famous Benefactors' Portraits are displayed—portraits of nobles, prelates, and citizens who have aided the community—a ritual repeated every year since the late 18th century. Alongside this is the historic distribution of the San Giovenale Bread to families in need, an act of charity continuing a 19th-century tradition.
The secular side: fair and funfair
Alongside the religious celebrations, the city fills with stalls, food stands, and attractions. In Piazza Diaz, Fossanoland returns every year, a large funfair with rides for all ages, while the San Giovenale Fair enlivens the avenues and squares of the center. A mix that makes this festival an event for the whole family, capable of uniting tradition, spirituality, and entertainment in the heart of Piedmont.
San Giovenale — edition 2026
The 2026 edition of the San Giovenale Patronal Festival in Fossano was dedicated to an important anniversary: 1650 years since the death of the patron saint. The celebrations opened on Sunday, April 26, with the presentation of the restored altarpiece and the "Missa Papae Francisci" conducted by Andrea Morricone, culminating in the solemnity of Sunday, May 3, with the stational mass and the procession through the city streets. Alongside the religious dimension, the city experienced its popular festival with the fair, food stands, and the Fossanoland funfair in Piazza Diaz.
Programme San Giovenale 2026
Sunday, April 26
- 17:30 - Presentation of the restoration of the altarpiece depicting the patron saint (restorer Daniele Dutto)
- 18:00 - "Missa Papae Francisci" conducted by Andrea Morricone, organized by the Fossano Music Foundation, in the Cathedral
From Monday, April 27 to Friday, May 1
- 18:30 - "Journey towards San Giovenale": mass and preparatory prayer
Saturday, May 2
- 14:30 - Distribution of the "San Giovenale Bread" to families in need
- 17:00 - Solemn opening of the chapel and procession to the Church of the Santissima Trinità
- 17:45 - Solemn Vespers and election of the rector
- 18:30 - Holy Mass
Sunday, May 3 (main day)
- 10:00 - Stational Mass with Monsignor Celestino Migliore and Monsignor Piero Delbosco
- 11:30 - Procession through the city streets
- 17:00 - Second Vespers
- 18:00 - Solemn Eucharist
- 21:00 - Concert for San Giovenale with organist Roberto Bertero
Monday, May 4
- 9:00 - Mass for the deceased of the Company
- 18:00 - Eucharistic celebration and reposition of the relics
Popular Festival
Fossanoland funfair in Piazza Diaz from April 24 to May 5, with rides for children and families, bumper cars, adrenaline attractions, and the 2026 novelty "Jumanji". Monday, May 5, 1 euro discount on all rides. Along the historic center, the San Giovenale Fair with stalls and food stands, and the exhibition of the Benefactors' Portraits in Via Roma.
Highlights San Giovenale 2026
Prices San Giovenale 2026
Practical information — San Giovenale
When
The festival takes place around the first Sunday of May, with the main solemnity on Sunday. The religious portion lasts several days, while the Fossanoland funfair remains open longer.
Where
Historic center of Fossano (CN), Piedmont. Celebrations are concentrated between the Cathedral, the Church of the Santissima Trinità, Via Roma, Via Cavour, Piazza Castello, and Viale Sacerdote. The Fossanoland funfair is set up in Piazza Diaz.
How to get there
Fossano is accessible by car via the A6 Turin-Savona motorway (Fossano exit) and by train via the station on the Turin-Savona and Turin-Cuneo lines.
Costs
Access to religious celebrations, the procession, and the fair is free. Attractions at the Fossanoland funfair require payment for individual rides.
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Where does it take place — San Giovenale
Centro storico di Fossano