Carrù travel guide
Fat-ox fair, bollito misto and Einaudi's birthplace on the Langhe edge
A small town in Cuneo province known for its December ox fair and boiled-meat restaurants, best reached by car from Turin in about an hour. Come for a long lunch, the second Thursday of December, or as a stop between Mondovì and the Langhe; one day is plenty. Prices are high, and Schengen rules apply.
Carrù is a small farming town in the Province of Cuneo in southern Piedmont. It lies about 70 km south of Turin and 30 km northeast of Cuneo, where the plain meets the Langhe hills. Its name is tied to beef: the town has held the Fiera del Bue Grasso, a fat-ox fair, every December since 1910. Its restaurants have built a reputation on bollito misto, the Piedmontese platter of boiled meats.
There is also a political footnote. Luigi Einaudi, an economist who became the first elected President of the Italian Republic in 1948, was born here in 1874.
The old centre is compact. A castle first documented in 1041 stands over the town; it was restored in the 1980s and is now used by a local bank. The Baroque parish church of Maria Vergine Assunta was designed by Francesco Gallo, the architect behind much of the Mondovì area's church building. Two confraternity churches, the Battuti Bianchi and Battuti Neri, sit nearby.
Treat Carrù as a lunch stop or a base for the southern Langhe rather than a destination for several days. Mondovì is next door with its funicular and hilltop square. The Barolo vineyards are within easy driving distance.
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Top things to do in Carrù
A short walk of churches and a castle, then the main business of Carrù: a long, meat-heavy lunch.
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Best time to visit Carrù
Month by month, so you can pick the weather and the crowds you want.
Grape harvest in the Langhe, the Sagra dell'uva parade at the end of September and the best months for touring wine villages.
The Fiera del Bue Grasso, the town's biggest day, with bollito served in every dining room.
The Piacere Carrù beef weekend in early May, June evenings of the Giugno Carrucese and the Classiche Armonie music festival into early September.
The Fiera del Bue Grasso is held on the second Thursday of December; restaurants take bookings weeks ahead, and arriving early in the morning is the only way to see the cattle judging before the crowds.
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Getting there
A6 motorway or the train to Mondovì
Driving is by far the easiest way in: Carrù lies just off the A6 Turin to Savona motorway, about an hour from Turin and a similar distance from the Ligurian coast. Its own station closed after the 1994 floods, so rail travellers use Mondovì and take a taxi or local bus the last few kilometres.
- Turin airport (TRN)
- Main gateway, about 90 minutes by car
- Cuneo Levaldigi (CUF)
- Small regional airport near Savigliano
- Rail
- Nearest working station is Mondovì, Turin to Savona line
- By car
- A6 Turin to Savona motorway
- Cuneo Levaldigi (CUF) is closer than Turin but has only a handful of routes that change by season.
- On fair day, park on the edge of town and walk in; the centre is closed to traffic.
- Check bus connections from Mondovì before relying on them, especially on Sundays.
Where to stay
Village rooms or a Mondovì base
Carrù has only a few small hotels, guesthouses and rooms above restaurants, which suits a single night after a long lunch. For more choice, stay in Mondovì, which has more hotels and the funicular to its upper town, or in the Langhe wine villages to the north if wine is the main reason for the trip.
- Carrù centre
- Walk to the restaurants and the castle; very few rooms
- Mondovì
- Next door, more hotels and a rail station
- Langhe villages
- Agriturismi among the vineyards, a car is essential
- For the December fair, book a room in Mondovì or Cuneo early.
Getting around
Walking the centre, driving the Langhe
The historic centre, from the castle down to the parish church and the main streets of restaurants, is a short walk end to end. Everything beyond the town, from Mondovì to the Barolo villages, needs a car, since local buses are infrequent and aimed at commuters and schoolchildren.
- On foot
- Castle, churches and restaurants within ten minutes
- Car
- Needed for Mondovì, Dogliani and the Barolo villages
- Roads into the Langhe are narrow and winding; allow more time than the map suggests.
- Book winery visits in advance and agree on a non-drinking driver before setting off.
Know before you go
What makes Carrù worth the trip, and what catches visitors out.
Why travelers love it
- Bollito misto at a trattoria table, with the cuts carved in front of you and sauces passed round.
- Fair morning in December, when white Piedmontese oxen are judged in the town streets.
- The castle above the rooftops, first recorded in 1041 and restored in the 1980s.
- Easy access to Mondovì's funicular and the Gothic Piazza at the top of the hill.
Good to know
- Bollito is a lunch meal and portions are large; do not plan a big dinner the same day.
- Many restaurants close one day a week and some shut in summer; check before driving in.
- The castle houses a bank, so it is viewed mainly from outside.
Trip fit
BookingMentor editorial ratings out of 5, based on a first-time visitor's experience.
Weather in Carrù, month by month
Month-by-month climate figures for Carrù are being researched.
A Carrù lunch day with a detour to Mondovì Piazza
Morning: arrive by mid-morning and walk up to the castle, documented since 1041 and now restored, for a look over the rooftops. Come down through the centre to the parish church of Maria Vergine Assunta, a Baroque building by Francesco Gallo, and look into the Battuti Bianchi and Battuti Neri confraternity churches if they are open.
Palazzo Lubatti and Palazzo Alessi, once the home of the Canosio counts, are on the same short loop.
Lunch: book a table at one of the town's trattorie for bollito misto. This is a slow meal, often two hours or more, and the reason most people come.
Afternoon: drive the few minutes to Mondovì. Park in the lower Breo quarter and take the funicular, reopened in 2006, up to Mondovì Piazza, where the 14th to 16th-century main square and its churches look out over the plain towards the Alps.
Evening: continue to Cuneo, or north through Dogliani into the Langhe for a wine village overnight. Travellers heading on by rail can reach Turin or Genoa from Mondovì or via Savona.
Bollito misto, bagnet verde and Piedmontese beef
Carrù's cooking rests on the Piedmontese cattle breed, raised on the farms around the town. The signature dish is bollito misto, a platter of several cuts of beef and other meats simmered for hours and served hot, usually with a choice of sauces.
The best known is bagnet verde, a green sauce of parsley, garlic and anchovy; a red tomato sauce and mostarda (candied fruit with mustard) often come with it. The broth is not wasted and may arrive first as a soup.
Restaurants in Carrù serve bollito through the colder months, and it is the centre of every celebration. In early May the Piacere Carrù weekend has several restaurants each serve a different course of a single shared menu, so diners move from one dining room to the next. The second Thursday of March brings a younger fair for steers and cows, the Fiera del Manzo e della Vacca Grassa.
Drink local. The nearby Dogliani hills produce Dolcetto, and the Barolo and Barbaresco villages of the Langhe are a short drive north. Finish with a coffee and something sweet in the centre, then walk off lunch before getting back in the car.
Ox fair Thursdays, grape floats and summer concerts
The year's big date is the Fiera del Bue Grasso, held on the second Thursday of December since 1910. Farmers bring their finest Piedmontese oxen to be judged in the streets in the morning, prizes are handed out, and every restaurant in town serves bollito from early in the day.
It is busy, cold and very local; arrive early and dress warmly.
Other events fill the rest of the calendar. The March fair for steers and cows, a more recent addition, is smaller and less crowded. The first weekend of May brings Piacere Carrù and its moving lunch. June is given over to the Giugno Carrucese, with festive evenings and music on several 'white nights', and from late July to early September the Classiche Armonie festival brings international classical musicians to town.
September ends with the Sagra dell'uva, a grape festival that closes on the last Sunday of the month with a parade of decorated floats. It coincides with the start of the harvest in the Langhe, which makes late September and October the best time to combine Carrù with winery visits.
Winter outside the fair is quiet and foggy on the plain, while high summer can be hot; spring and autumn are the most comfortable seasons for walking.
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How we research our Carrù travel guide
Carrù's fair dates come from the Settembre Carrucese site, and the train to Mondovì and A6 access from Italia.it. The page changes when event dates do.
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Checked against trusted sources:
Official website of CarrùItalia.itUNESCO World Heritage Centre
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Quick answers to the questions travelers ask most before visiting Carrù.
Timing & weather
On the second Thursday of December each year; it has been held since 1910.
The best time to visit Carrù is Sep to Dec, May. Autumn harvest and truffle season in the nearby Langhe, the December ox fair and the May bollito weekend.
- Autumn: September - November (Grape harvest in the Langhe, the Sagra dell'uva parade at the end of September and the best months for touring wine villages)
- December: Second Thursday (The Fiera del Bue Grasso, the town's biggest day, with bollito served in every dining room)
- Spring and summer: May - August (The Piacere Carrù beef weekend in early May, June evenings of the Giugno Carrucese and the Classiche Armonie music festival into early September)
General
A Piedmontese platter of mixed boiled meats served with sauces such as bagnet verde. Most trattorie in the centre serve it at lunch; book ahead in December.
Cuneo Levaldigi (CUF) near Savigliano is closest but has few routes; most visitors fly into Turin (TRN) and drive about an hour and a half.
Yes, on 24 March 1874. He became the first elected President of the Italian Republic in 1948.
The castle is used by a bank, Banca Alpi Marittime, so it is mostly seen from outside.
Half a day to a day: a walk around the centre and a long lunch, with Mondovì or the Langhe in the afternoon.
On the first weekend of May participating restaurants each serve one course of a shared beef menu, and diners move between them on the Sunday.
It works for drivers, since the Langhe villages are a short drive north, but the wine villages themselves have more places to stay.
The March steer and cow fair, the Giugno Carrucese in June, the Classiche Armonie concerts from late July, and the Sagra dell'uva parade on the last Sunday of September.
The historic centre, from the castle down to the parish church and the main streets of restaurants, is a short walk end to end. Everything beyond the town, from Mondovì to the Barolo villages, needs a car, since local buses are infrequent and aimed at commuters and schoolchildren.
Getting there
Not directly: Carrù's own station closed after the 1994 floods. Take a train to Mondovì on the Turin to Savona line and a taxi or bus from there.
Driving is by far the easiest way in: Carrù lies just off the A6 Turin to Savona motorway, about an hour from Turin and a similar distance from the Ligurian coast. Its own station closed after the 1994 floods, so rail travellers use Mondovì and take a taxi or local bus the last few kilometres.
Visa & documents
Schengen rules apply in Italy. Citizens of the EU and of many other countries, including the US, UK, Canada and Australia, can visit visa-free for up to 90 days in any 180-day period; other nationalities need a Schengen visa. The EU's Entry/Exit System (EES) records non-EU travelers' fingerprints and a photo at the border.
Health & safety
Violent crime against visitors to Italy is rare. Pickpocketing is the main problem, especially on buses and metros in Rome (bus 64 is notorious), at Roman and Florentine sights, and at Termini and Naples Centrale stations. Wear your bag across your body and zip it, and use only licensed white taxis or official ride apps.
