Transhumance - moving sheep to winter pasture at the end of the summer from the Italian Maritime alps near M Saccarello
Transhumance – the traditional movement of animals from seasonal pasture grounds – usually summer pastures high in the mountains and winter pasture in the lowlands – is now becoming a rarity in many European countries . However in the Alps and the Pyrenees the practice continues to this day – usually with sheep and cattle. In Liguria in the alps close to and spanning the border between the French and Italian Alps shepherds go up into the mountains in late spring ( April) and spend the summer with their flocks in the succulent summer alpine pastures high above the coast at altitudes which can reach 2000 plus metres. They come down from the mountains in early autumn driving their sheep in the traditional way on foot with dogs and the occasional pick up bringing their supplies – usually to altitudes below 1000 metres where the sheep can graze throughout winter. There is usually a festival in the Ligurian alps in October to celebrate the end of the season.
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Photo credit: © Nick Haslam / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
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Keywords: alps, ancient, animal, droving, fashioned, flock, flocks, husbandry, italian, italy, liguria, lowland, maritime, mountain, moving, pasture, pastures, peasant, rustic, sheep, shepherds, stock, summer, traditional, transhumance, winter
