Every year since 1000 AD, 30 and 31 January in Aosta Saint Orso Fair is held. These days Valdostane craftsmen and artisans are the fruits of their labor in the central streets of Aosta.
According to legend, the celebration has begun in front of the collegiate church of St Orso, where he lived until the IX century. Saint Orso distributed clothes to the poor and "sabots" (traditional wooden shoes, which to this day are sold) so that they can protect themselves from the cold.
Technically, it is called fair, but in fact it is something like a carnival - one of the main events in the life of valdostantsev is as important as Christmas and Easter.
The fair presents all the traditional crafts: sculpture and wood carvings, the work of soapstone, popular in the Alps since the Neolithic as a breed, easy handling, wrought iron and dressed leather, weaving "drape" (cloth from sheep's wool, woven on antique wooden looms), lace, wicker furniture and wicker, utensils, cupboards, boxes ... modern variety of an ancient craft a new range - rucksacks, handbags, wallets, shoes, belts, jackets.
Visit Sant'Orso Fair - the only one of its kind unforgettable experience worthy of the living of emotional complicity. Not so much the commercial side of the business encourages artisans to participate in the fair, as the desire to get out of the workshop, to meet with the public, which is able to assess the quality and the creative imagination of artists, the result of traditional crafts with centuries-old roots.
The city comes to life in a series of dance, music, choral music and street performances, which are added to the wine tasting, gastronomic delights and a religious service in the Gothic cathedral.
The culmination of the festival - "Veya" (Veilla), all-night fun at night from 30 to 31 January, when the streets are lit and filled with people until dawn, moving between the bars, clubs, wine cellars, sitting in good company, in which all excited everyone.
Program of January 30:
16.00 meeting with the guide in the city center. During the tour, you will learn all about the history of the holiday and of the culture of Sant'Orso Valle d'Aosta residents.
19.45 traditional dinner in a restaurant in Aosta
and from 22.00 am to participate in the "Veya