The International Chimney Sweep Meeting in Santa Maria Maggiore is certainly one of the most well-known events in Piedmont. First held in 1981, the convention pays tribute to the entire Valle Vigezzo, once the birthplace of the chimney sweep trade. Besides bringing back memories and recounting often untold and dramatic stories of this harsh trade, which was an iconic symbol of the valley itself for centuries, the convention has since become a large-scale tourist event.
Over a thousand chimney sweeps make their way to Santa Maria Maggiore every year from all over the world to attend this important convention held on the first weekend of September. For the spectacular Sunday parade, men (and women) with blackened sooty faces inundate the town streets, drawing in around 30,000 visitors from all over Italy.
The chimney sweeps that paint the Valle Vigezzo black for a week, not only hail from Italy, but also from Europe, the United States and Japan. Organised by the National Chimney Sweep Association, in collaboration with Santa Maria Maggiore Town Council and grassroots organisation, it is one of the few events of this kind in the world, a spectacular occasion likely to engage both adults and children.
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