Every two years, thousands of people flock to the village of Arnad for the "veillà"

Veillà was a social gathering related to the long winter nights spent in the stable, chatting, playing cards, cutting small pieces of wood and carrying out maintenance work on agricultural equipment while the women spun wool or knitted.

Nowadays, Veillà are primarily manifestations that are representative of a past life-styles, recalling ancient professions and the traditional activities of farming life, primarily on a touristic level.

The veillà held in Arnad, a village in the lower Valle d’Aosta, does not stray from this definition, but for one thing: here the festival, which welcomes tourists with open arms, has been "developed" with the population in mind.

Along the path, which includes the hamlet of Ville, inhabited since the year 1000, all the inhabitants play an active part in the resurrection of the past; there is: a stable; a winery; a clearance for the preparation of charcoal for utilisation in the blacksmith's forge; a castle made of tree-trunks, with a vertical saw operated by 2 men; the threshing of wheat; the peeling of dried chestnuts; hackling of hemp fibres, which once spun, were brought to Champorcher, for weaving.

At the veillà of Arnad, traditional products can be tried: Arnad lard, seupé, mahishtra de grì, apple strudel and fiocca with ground coffee. 

The veillà of Arnad is a paying event held every two years.