The farmers’ association said nearly half a million sheep, cows and goats are to make their summer transhumance - literally, “crossing ground” - as herders, often on horseback and accompanied by dogs, drive their animals across Italy.
The journey is from lowland areas in search of mountain pastures according to a centuries-old tradition that in 2019 entered UNESCO’s list of immaterial cultural heritage.
The first flocks and herds have already departed, Coldiretti said.
The tradition isn’t unique to Italy, but the country remains one of the few in Europe to have preserved its ancient network of transhumance routes known as tratturi, some of which are still used by herders today.
Transhumance is most closely associated with central and southern Italy, where four main routes run through Abruzzo, Lazio, Molise and Puglia.
Known as the Royal or King’s Pathways, they were protected by rulers in the late Middle Ages but date back far longer.
The custom also exists to a lesser extent in Italy’s northern Alps, notably Lombardy and South Tyrol.
The main livestock breeds making the arduous journey that can often be up to 100 km are the Podolica for cattle and the Gentile di Puglia for sheep, due to their considerable endurance, Coldiretti said.
The recent Made in Italy decree establishes the National Observatory for the protection of transhumance and the promotion of extensive livestock farming.
The farmers’ association says the measure, “reaffirms the social, economic, historical and environmental value of the sector at a time of great difficulty with Italian farms having lost about a million sheep and 200,000 cows and buffalo in the last decade”.
ANSA
