Anything but black and gray. There Chimney sweeps parade in the Vigezzo Valley It is a kaleidoscope of bright colours. Starting with the flags of the different countries from which more than a thousand chimney sweeps come, who every year, on the first Sunday in September, invade Saint Mary Major and the entire Ossola Valley. A festive occasion for locals and tourists in this fairytale corner of Piedmont, on the border with Switzerland. A celebration that, over the decades, has gradually expanded (almost a week of events and the “crossing” to Domodossola) and which now enjoys international appeal.
International Chimney Sweeps Meeting: dates of the 2024 edition and the program
THE International Chimney Sweeps Meeting This year it reaches 41 editions. The one in 2024 is on the calendar from August 30 to September 2More than a thousand “black men” are expected in the valley, even coming from the United States. Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, Sweden And Finland These are the most represented nations. But Russia, Lithuania, Ukraine and Moldova will be absent: absences in recent years, a warning about the conflict at the gates of Europe.
But the gathering remains an event capable of uniting peoples and cultures. Under the flags, following the musical bands, the real protagonists march with toilet brushes, ropes and cheeks blackened by soot. I wear traditional work clothes: all black, except for the Dutch delegation that has always marched in its white uniform.
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The highlight is the parade, scheduled for 10 a.m. Sunday September 1st in the historic center of Saint Mary Majorpicturesque village decorated with frescoes, orange flag of the Italian Touring Club since 2009. Not to be missed, the evocative historical reconstruction of Risorgimento Square: on the stone roofs, to blend in with the curious metal shapes that watch over the chimneys all year round, the russian in the flesh to demonstrate their mastery, among the soot, the graters and the echoes of the Taromchimney sweep jargon.
But many events are scheduled in addition to the traditional SMM parade. To anticipate it, already Friday 30th And Saturday August 31various concerts and live music moments in the city streets and in Villa Antonia Parkwith fireworks on Friday at 11 p.m. The park also hosts a screening of thematic videos and the large refreshment point (open from Saturday to 6:30 p.m.) where you can stop to taste the typical specialties of the valley: the Vigezzo raw hamTHE stinkedthin sheets of dough cooked on iron plates and seasoned with mountain butter and a pinch of salt, cheeses (the good mountain tome and the essential “Chimney sweep”). And among the desserts, the pan and lake cake (panelatte) and the fiaciaa kind of shortcrust pastry.
Even the neighboring villages of Malesco And Craveggiathe day of Saturday August 31they will be infected with the joyful soot of the chimney sweeps, with various moments of celebration. And with a moment of reflection in front of the monument symbol of the “little rüsca” in the center of Malesco: it is the memory of Faustino Cappinichild of King (another village of Vigezzo, famous for its mammoth sanctuary), electrocuted in the 1930s at the top of a chimney, touching high-voltage wires.
Monday September 2nd the chimney sweeps will go on a trip to Domodossolawhere at 6 pm they will parade through the splendid historic center. It is worth following them to also discover the jewel that it is Market Squarewith its 15th century porticoes. The full detailed program is on the site santamariamaggiore.info
The Chimney Sweep Museum of Santa Maria Maggiore
It is no coincidence that the world gathering is taking place right here and that a Saint Mary Major There is even a dedicated museum: since the 16th century, this small Alpine valley was even known as the “chimney sweeps valley” because entire generations of emigrants left here over the centuries for France, Germany, Austria and Holland. Often children, sold by their families out of poverty, between the 19th and 20th centuries, and very “appreciated” for their slender silhouette and the agility with which they could lower themselves into the chimneys.
A dark fairy tale and a long-forgotten dark period. But then we wanted to remember these people and their efforts. So, in the early 1980s, the first gathering saw about thirty smokers. Up to 1,800 at the 40th edition. A rediscovery that also led in 1983 to the opening of Chimney Sweep Museum Of Saint Mary Majorwhich welcomes more than 10,000 visitors each year.
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The museum goes far beyond the simple collection of traditional work tools: the rasp, the riccio (ray-shaped blades obtained from the springs of alarm clocks and bells), the square (extendable stick that supported the hedgehog), the brischetine (the toilet brush), a long rope, various weights and the sachto fill with soot.
The rooms of Villa Antoniawith a multimedia installation, also tell dark pages of the history of Vigezzo and of Italy in general. And they restore a more authentic – even contemporary – image of a profession that goes far beyond the melancholic and romantic character of chimney sweep Bert played by Dick Van Dyke in the film Mary Poppins.
How to get to Sainte-Marie-Majeure
Saint Mary Major it is the capital of Vigezzo Valleyone of the seven valleys ofBonein the'Upper Piedmont. A few dozen kilometers from Lake Maggiore and of Swissis accessible by car in just over an hour from Milan and a little more than two of Turin.
You take theA26 motorwayat the height of Gravellona Toce continue on the motorway towards Sempione-Confine di Stato until the exit Masera-Vigezzo Valley. You take the SS 337 from the Vigezzo Valley to SMM.
Be careful though: on rally days, traffic in the valley increases and you may have trouble finding a parking space in the city centre. A valid alternative is to arrive directly by train: trains leave from Domodossola and Locarno. Vigezzina-Centovalli railway (reservation strongly recommended). All aboard between woods, mountain pastures, waterfalls and stone villages: this is how the fairy tale begins before even arriving at the station.
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