On the Ligurian mountains following transhumance

Discover

In the Aveto Valley, at the end of October of each year, the transhumance takes place, i.e. the return of cattle from the pastures located on high ground at 1500 meters above sea level, to regain possession of their stables located in the village of S. Stefano d’Aveto.

Short-range transhumance, also known as grazing, is documented in several mountainous areas of the Mediterranean as a “sort of vertical transhumance in which flocks of animals were transferred from the valleys to the mountain pastures, covering distances that did not exceed about five kilometers.”

Within the mountain system, the flocks were taken to pasture on a daily basis.

In the evening they returned to the casoni, “seasonal structures linked to breeding and agriculture, widespread throughout eastern Liguria”, generally located on the edge of the cultivated terraces.

In ancient times, the territories of the Aveto Valley, and the neighboring Trebbia Valley, were affected by the passage of transhumant flocks coming from the Po Valley and from it heading towards the coast, or on the contrary coming from the coastal area and heading towards the plain.

It was a practice that the breeders of our valleys knew and practiced before leaving and emigrating to America.

Many of them, especially those who ended up working in the Argentine pampas, had this wealth of knowledge and were able to apply it to working on overseas farms in close contact with livestock.

Transhumance Itinerary

The itinerary traveled by the herd of the Monteverde company, just over seven kilometers long, starts from Mount Crociglia in the early hours of the morning and winds in a suggestive ups and downs through a landscape dotted with beeches, oaks, oaks and to a lesser extent conifers.

From the mountain you can descend, following the cows, towards the small village of Torrio and then go up to the Bocco pass, where the animals drink from some pools of water present.

The route ends with a steep descent that directs the cows at a determined pace to the square of Santo Stefano d’Aveto, where they are welcomed together with the shepherds by the cheering crowd.

In the morning, the band parade takes place in the village and the local choir performs. There are also games for young and old, country performances and group dances.

Afterwards there is the costume parade of the Allegrezze Sports Group and the cows make their triumphal entry into the village.

At the end of their passage, it is possible to have lunch on site with a “peasant menu” based on polenta, mushrooms, local cheese.

You can also taste a specialty that recalls the ties of the Ligurian land with the Argentine one: the asado.

In the first half of the twentieth century, some emigrants who returned to their homeland brought with them the recipe for this beef-based dish.

This is slowly cooked on the grill and is a gastronomic tradition of the herdsmen active in the extensive grasslands of the Pampas.

Large cuts were originally roasted on a metal cross. In more recent times, a grill, placed at such a distance from the embers as to allow slow and homogeneous cooking, has taken the place of the cross.

Tender and juicy, asado is a specialty that Ligurians love to consume, especially at summer festivals that take place outdoors.