St. Catherine’s Fair: every November since the year 1380, the city of Udine in the Friuli region has been honoring St. Catherine of Alexandria. Marquardo di Randeck, the patriarch of Aquileia, was the first to honor the saint with this annual fair. Remarkably, throughout the years and over the course of history, it was only canceled due to the Austro-German occupation of Udine during World War I.

This year, Piazza Primo Maggio will be celebrating once again from November 23rd through the 25th, which is St. Catherine of Alexandria’s Patron Saint Day.

Approximately three hundred exhibitions and stalls representing Friuli, Italy, and all of Europe are expected for the event. Goods ranging from clothing, accessories, crafts, food, and original gifts will provide visitors with wonderful ideas to begin the Holiday Season and the winter. If you’re traveling with children, you may want to check out the rides in Piazza Primo Maggio which will be set up from October 26th through November 17th.

St. Catherine is venerated as the protector of many professions, including those associated with the wheel. In Friuli, many artisans such as seamstresses, millers, and other craftsmen have looked to her for centuries for strength and protection so it would make sense that goods bought, even to this very day, at St. Catherine’s Fair would hold an extra special value.