Since 1569 a Fair dedicated to Mountain snails

Borgo San Dalmazzo, a town near Cuneo, since the 16^th century has been the site of Fiera Fredda, a fair, annually held in the month of December, dedicated to snails, that combines local wine and food, culture, and tradition.

Beginning on Friday December 4^th and ending on Tuesday December 8^th, the 446^th edition of Fiera Fredda will offer a gourmet exhibition inside Palazzo Bertello, a journey into wine-and-food excellence and local crafts. On Saturday Dec. 5^Th, the highlight day of the fair in honor of San Dalmazzo's (250 AD) - a sort of St. Francis before his time who left the comforts in order to preach the Gospel in Piedmont, Liguria and southern France - the town's streets and alleys will host the traditional snail market as well as the big fair counting more than 400 exhibitors.

Queen of the Fair is the Helix Pomatia snail, also known as the Mountain snails, a type found in the Maritime Alps, in the area that extends from the Pesio valley to the Maira Valley, and in particular in those valleys that connect Borgo San Dalmazzo. This area influenced by the sea, has a rainy climate that favouring the growth of many grass species, including medicinal herbs, on which the snails feed giving them a unique flavour.

The custom of snail gathering and fattening is very ancient; apparently, the Benedictine Monks of the Abbey of Borgo San Dalmazzo started the tradition of feeding snails the aromatic and fragrant herbs of Alpine pastures to enhance their flavour. Additionally, the sales of snails, particularly during the Fiera Fredda, in late Autumn, was an important way of increasing mountain folks' income.

Fiera Fredda will offer visitors a wide variety of traditional recipes based on Helix Pomatia snails as well local dishes from more than 20 municipalities in the area. Food will be accompanied by local artisan beers and, of course, by Barolo, the most famous Italian wine in the world from the Langhe and Roero area.

Borgo San Dalmazzo is about 80 kilometres (50 mi) south of Turin and about 8 kilometres (5 mi) southwest of Cuneo. It can be reached by car and train.