Altro · June 5, 2026 – June 7, 2026 · Maira Valley
The Fiera degli Acciugai in Maira Valley celebrates the ancient traditions of the region, deeply connected to anchovies and local products. This event offers a delightful food and wine itinerary, live music, dancing, street food, and craft beers, transforming the past into a vibrant story told anew each year. It's a unique opportunity to experience the authentic culture and flavors of the Maira Valley.
Indulge in a variety of delicious offerings, from savory street food featuring the star of the show – anchovies – prepared in traditional ways, to a selection of local products from the Maira Valley. Quench your thirst with refreshing craft beers, perfect for pairing with the regional specialties.
Join us for a weekend full of festivities! **Friday, June 5, 2026 – 9:30 PM** Piazza Martiri della Libertà – Dronero LOU DALFIN: Enjoy live music, dancing, street food, and craft beers. Free admission. **Saturday, June 6, 2026 – 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM (Street Food & Music until midnight)** Piazza Martiri della Libertà, Piazza Manuel di San Giovanni, and surrounding streets. **Fair Area (All Day):** Delicious street food and local craft beers. **Schools and Training (Portici del Teatro):** An area dedicated to educational institutions highlighting Dronero's history and the Acciugai. **Mulino Cavanna – Via Molino, 8:** * **Open Mill:** Free guided tours of the Dronero Riviera Mill with the Cavanna Brothers (9:30 AM – 12:30 PM / 2:30 PM – 5:30 PM, no reservation needed). * **Occitan Dances:** Participate in free Occitan dances with instructor Daniela Mandrile (3:00 PM – 5:30 PM in the Mill courtyard). **Nerea – Storie d’Acciughe – Via Molino 7:** * **Photo Exhibition:** "I QUBI di Mago & Grey" – Photographs and watercolors of an extraordinary country between Cumbia and Amazonas. **Il Bottegone & Le Scuole:** * **Wooden Anchovies:** 80 wooden anchovies will adorn shop windows and doors in Dronero. * **Anchovy Window Display:** Discover Dronero's most beautiful "Anciue" themed window display. * **Children's Art:** Porticos and streets will be decorated with anchovy-themed artwork by Dronero's young students. **Sala Giolitti (Piazza Martiri della Libertà):** * **Docufilm Screening:** "Acciughe sotto la neve" (Anchovies under the Snow) will be screened hourly throughout the fair. **Convitto and Via Roma:** Artisans showcasing their unique products. **Opere Pie Droneresi – 2nd Edition of "La giornata dei balocchi":** A retirement home transforms into a lively square with music, animal encounters, games, and walks towards the fair – a true "fair within the fair." **Passacharriera:** Occitan music will fill the streets of the fair all day. **Saturday's Hourly Schedule:** * **11:00 AM – Opere Pie Droneresi:** Philatelic cancellation for the "La Valanga Nera… l’inchiostro nelle terre alte" project. * **3:00 PM – Mulino Cavanna:** Occitan dances with Daniela Mandrile. * **3:00 PM – Museo Luigi Mallé – via Valmala 9, Dronero:** "Acciuga su carta" (Anchovy on Paper) by Elena Di Capita. Reservation: segreteria@fondazionebertoni.it. * **3:00 PM & 4:00 PM – IIS Virginio Donadio Stand – Portici del Teatro:** Show Cooking at the Fiera degli Acciugai, featuring ancient saffron risotto from Caraglio with bagna caoda from the Dronero Riviera. * **3:30 PM – Piazza Martiri – Stage:** Official inauguration of ANCIUE – LA FIERA DEGLI ACCIUGAI, with music by Banda San Luigi. * **4:00 PM – 6:00 PM – Istituto Civico Musicale “Gianfranco Donadio” – Via XXV Aprile, 21:** Opening of the "Collezione G.B.Goletti" musical instrument museum at Palazzo Savio, with musical performances by students and teachers. * **6:00 PM – Museo Luigi Mallé – via Valmala 9, Dronero:** "Nona edizione di Figure d’acciughe – Apua Mutantis di Dario Ghibaudo." * **7:30 PM – 9:00 PM – Piazza Martiri della Libertà:** DJ set with Dj Lambo. * **9:30 PM – Stage – Piazza Martiri della Libertà:** BIRKIN TREE: Music, dancing, street food, and craft beers. Free admission. **Sunday, June 7, 2026 – 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM** ANCIUE – La fiera degli Acciugai Piazza Martiri, Piazza Manuel di San Giovanni, and surrounding streets. **Fair Area (All Day):** Delicious street food and local craft beers. **Sala Giolitti (Piazza Martiri della Libertà):** * **Docufilm Screening:** "Acciughe sotto la neve" will be screened hourly throughout the fair. **Foro Frumentario:** * **BIBLIODÒC – MOSTRA LA FLOR D’ÒC:** One hundred years of Alpine Occitan poetry exhibition. **Il Bottegone & Le Scuole:** * **Wooden Anchovies:** 80 wooden anchovies will adorn shop windows and doors in Dronero. * **Anchovy Window Display:** Discover Dronero's most beautiful "Anciue" themed window display. * **Children's Art:** Porticos and streets will be decorated with anchovy-themed artwork by Dronero's young students. **Nerea – Storie d’Acciughe – Via Molino 7:** * **Photo Exhibition:** "I QUBI di Mago & Grey" – Photographs and watercolors of an extraordinary country between Cumbia and Amazonas. **Le Scuole e la formazione – Portici del Teatro:** An area dedicated to educational institutions highlighting Dronero's history and the Acciugai. **Via Giolitti – in front of the Town Hall:** Art.He artisans. **Piazza Don Bernardo Mattio Arciprete (All Day):** * **La Piazza dei Balocchi:** Micro-circus activities including scooter rides, can toss, ring toss, duck fishing, and giant bubbles. **Mulino Cavanna – Via Molino, 8:** * **Open Mill:** Free guided tours of the Dronero Riviera Mill with the Cavanna Brothers (9:30 AM – 12:30 PM / 2:30 PM – 5:30 PM, no reservation needed). * **Breakfast at the Mill:** Enjoy breakfast with Cavanna Biscuits, sweet and savory treats, and hot/cold beverages (9:30 AM – 11:30 AM, no reservation needed). * **Fairy Tale Mill:** Animated readings by Cristina Levet for children aged 3-10 (4:30 PM). **Progetto Ecorami – Piazza Manuel di San Giovanni:** Agro-ecological farm stands and children's workshops throughout the day. **4:45 PM – Toum Toum mi siou Dousin:** Stories of the anchovy sellers told by Elena Rovera of Associazione Borgata Ghio. **Convitto and Via Roma:** Artisans showcasing their unique pieces. **Porta di Valle Maira:** Discover the center of Dronero and its hidden treasures with guided walks (9:00 AM and 11:30 AM, max 25 people per group). Info and registration: Consorzio Turistico Valle Maira, +39. 3791789427, info@vallemaira.org. **Sunday's Hourly Schedule:** * **10:00 AM – Sala Giolitti (Piazza Martiri della Libertà):** Associazione Borgata Ghio presents a screening of the documentary "La valle degli spiriti" (The Valley of Spirits). * **From 3:15 PM – Through the streets and squares:** Musical Passacharriera, concluding with a GRAND FINALE on stage. * **5:00 PM – Centro Giolitti – via XXV Aprile n. 25:** Presentation of the newly digitized photographic archive of Centro Giolitti. **Off-Fair Events:** * **Thursday, June 4, 2026 – 5:30 PM – Cappella di San Salvatore:** "SULLE VIE DEI BOTTAI AL CALAR DEL SOLE" – Stories sung by storytellers Luca OCCELLI and Franco OLIVERO, followed by a sunset aperitif. Free event, limited spots, reservation required via WhatsApp to 388 370 4339 by June 1, 2026. * **Saturday, July 11, 2026 – Ghio:** "Il Giro dell’Acciugaio" – A journey of listening, nature, theater, stories, and music. Also, "Acciugrafia" – an exhibition of anchovy advertising posters from the 80s. * **Sunday, June 21, 2026 – 4:00 PM – Celle di Macra:** Madamè in Concerto as part of the San Giovanni celebrations. Free admission, reservation recommended at proloco.seles@gmail.com. **ANCIUE in shop windows… and in wood!** In collaboration with IL BOTTEGONE, Dronero's shop windows and porticos will be adorned with around a hundred wooden anchovies. Traditional photos narrating the history of anchovy families will be displayed, and children's anchovy-themed artwork will decorate the porticos. **Libera l’Acciuga (Free the Anchovy):** For the fifth consecutive year, tin anchovies, created through the "Opere Libere" project (a collaboration between the Soleri Bertoni art high school and the Morandi prison in Saluzzo), will mark different areas of the fair. These unique objects, symbolizing a bridge between the prison and the fair, will be presented at the TERRES MONVISO stands.