In Livigno, everything is ready for a weekend of one of the most typical, traditional moments of the year that have always been part of Little Tibet’s history, namely the return of cattle from their summer migration. On Friday 20th, Saturday 21st and Sunday 22nd September, the entire town will host the AlpenFest, a three day celebration to welcome breeders and their cattle with exhibitions, fashion shows and stands selling both gastronomical and craft items.
The event kicks off on Friday 20th September at 10a.m. with the 52nd Zootechnical Exhibition which will be followed by the traditional lunch on the central plain in Via Isola. This event has its roots deeply immersed in the history of the area and has marked the rural life of the valley for many many years. Later on, attendees will be able to visit MUS!, the museum of Livigno and Trepalle, which organises special opening nights from 9p.m. to 11p.m. over the summer. One of these will be Friday, 20th September.
Saturday, 21st September, on the other hand, will be the turn of the long-awaited parade through the central streets of Livigno, to represent the return from the migration of this summer. With their cattle, sheep, donkeys, horses and goats, breeders wearing traditional clothes will walk along the roads of Little Tibet, starting from from S. Maria and S. Rocco. Throughout the day, those present will be able to visit the stands of artisans and farmers to learn about their products, but also watch a display of agricultural vehicles and the parade of the local flock of sheep as well as the eagerly awaited Milking and Shearing Championships. To add even greater excitement to the whole event, there will be performances by local musical groups and themed games to entertain the little ones. Saturday will then continue with the traditional Greeting of the Shepherd, a typical parade to the sound of the farmers’ cow bells, which will start at 8:45p.m. from Plaza dal Comun, as they make their way through the central streets. The point of arrival will be MUS!, where visitors can see the museum and photographic exhibition of Alta Valtellina in photographs of a travelling sundials painter. The eighty-two black and white images that form the exhibition will immediately transport visitors to between the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, when captain Enrico Alberto De Albertis, a Genoese globetrotter and sundial painter, walked the Upper Valley and took these photographs. It will be possible to visit the exhibition until 6th October 2019.
The last of these first three days of the Alpenfest will be Sunday, 22nd September, starting at 10a.m, when we all go to Trepalle for the parade that starts from Via Presot and ends with a traditional lunch with breeders at the Eira Pass. The day will continue with the Milking and Shearing Championships and the stands of farmers and artisans will await the people of Livigno and visitors alike in Trepalle, too.
The Alpenfest is a time of celebration that does not end in September, however, and will be repeated on Saturday 12th and Saturday 19th October with other unmissable events. On 12th October, starting at 10a.m., both the people of Livigno and visitors will be able to attend a sheep rally, followed by lunch with the farmers at Agriturismo Fontanella in Palipert. On Saturday, 19th October on the other hand, guests can take part in the last dinner of the Alpenfest, the Agriculture Dinner, as of 8p.m. during which the awards for the 2019 agricultural events will be presented.
A great supporter of the Alpenfest is the dairy of Livigno, which was founded due to the wish to promote the development of the mountain environment and its economy. A number of small milk producers joined together to form a cooperative, creating a structure that, alongside the processing of dairy products, now offers residents and tourists the opportunity to experience all the goodness of milk firsthand. The genuineness and quality of the products are guaranteed by the cattle living in the pastures around Livigno during the summer months, by feeding livestock selected feed and fodder only, by daily testing of the quality of the milk and by a strict protocol for processing raw materials.
News / 10.09.2019
The Italian and German national teams have already said they’ll be in Livigno from the off. La Sgambeda is celebrating its 30th anniversary in skating. Enrolment is now open and reduced rates are available to anyone who signs up before 13th October. The Visma Ski Classics for champions will be held on 29th November and 1st December.
SEARCH ACCOMMODATION