Fuori dal gregge

Transhumant pastoralism in Lombardy involves moving livestock from the mountains between Bergamo and Brescia in winter to the Po Plain (around Lodi, Cremona, Mantua) in spring. The working conditions are harsh: nighttime ascents to the alpine pastures; descents passing through industrial zones and across busy roads. There is a sort of personal relationship between shepherd and each sheep, but there are problems with temporary shelter, bad weather, and laws that provide no protection. Worst of all is fighting to maintain grazing lands, which have been either inherited or acquired with the flock, against illegal incursion by other shepherds, as well as the gradual disappearance of one of mankind’s oldest activities.