On Sunday 27 September, the centuries-old San Michele Fair returns to Tirano, one of the oldest fairs in the Alpine region.
Founded in 1514 as an agricultural and commercial market held around the Basilica of the Madonna of Tirano, over the centuries the fair became the most important economic and social hub of Valtellina, as well as a true crossroads for trade and exchanges between the Po Valley and the transalpine regions. By the 16th and 17th centuries, it had grown into a genuine international trade fair, helping to establish Tirano as the economic and social centre of Valtellina.
The fair will take place throughout the town, along Piazza Basilica, Viale Italia and Via Elvezia. In Piazza Basilica, visitors will find a market featuring handcrafted items and curiosities created by local Valtellina hobbyists.
On the occasion of the fair, it will also be possible to purchase the “Scudo di San Michele”, a traditional sweet bread prepared to celebrate the Apparition of the Madonna during the month dedicated to the Apparition (every year from 1 September to 15 October). The distinctive shape of this sweet bread—traditionally made exclusively by the bakers of Madonna—resembles a shield, a key element in the iconography of the warrior Archangel Michael, whose statue has stood for over four hundred years atop the dome of the Sanctuary, holding sword and shield.
