Settembrina Fair

A Market Fair Amidst Apennine Traditions

The Settembrina Fair is the market event that, at the beginning of September, fills the streets of Zocca, a municipality in the Province of Modena located about 759 meters above sea level on the ridge separating the Panaro valley from those of the Reno and Samoggia. Registered in the regional registry of public area fairs in Emilia-Romagna, the event takes place along Via Serre and gathers about twenty-five stalls offering food, craft, agricultural, and industrial products.

Zocca, the Village of Wood and Chestnuts

The very name Zocca derives from the local Frignano dialect term for a wooden stump, recalling the ancient chestnut woods that covered these hills. As early as 1465, Duke Borso d'Este granted the inhabitants the right to hold a market, a gesture that boosted trade and fostered the town's development. The Settembrina Fair is part of this long mercantile vocation of the village, which still thrives on agriculture, craftsmanship, and tourism linked to nature and gastronomic traditions.

What to Expect

• Stalls and Market: about twenty-five stalls with food, agricultural, craft, and industrial products.
• Typical Products: the opportunity to discover the flavors of the Modena Apennines, from marroni and chestnuts to borlenghi, crescentine, and local cured meats.
• Village Atmosphere: a day of celebration marking the transition from summer to autumn, eagerly awaited by residents and numerous holidaymakers.

A Territory to Discover

Visiting the Settembrina Fair is also an excellent excuse to explore Zocca and its surroundings: the Chestnut and Borlengo Museum, the Sanctuary of Verucchia, and the Apennine landscapes that in autumn are tinged with the colors of the chestnut groves. The town is also linked to the name of Vasco Rossi, born here in 1952, and attracts music and nature enthusiasts every year.