La transumanza in Abruzzo
The transhumance in Abruzzo
In autumn, when the mountains begin to cover themselves in snow, the shepherds from Abruzzo prepare their their flocks for the great journey.
The transhumance is the migration seasonal of the flocks from the pastures summer in the highland to those winter on the plain. The roads followed are called called tratturi.
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The tratturi are paths very ancient, wide enough for letting pass thousands of animals. Some of them have existed since before of the Romans.
The journey used to last weeks and the shepherds slept in the open, watching the stars. While the sheep grazed, the dogs maremma sheepdogs kept the guard.
Today the transhumance has been become rare, because many shepherds use the lorries to move the flocks. But in some villages of Abruzzo it is still done still, as a act of resistance cultural.
In 2019, UNESCO included inserted the transhumance among the heritage intangible of humanity. It is a recognition for a tradition that has shaped shaped the landscape Italian for millennia.