🐑 In the Belluno Dolomites: an ancient ritual of nature, work, and memory
Every year, between late spring and early autumn, the valleys of the Belluno province come alive with sounds, colors, and ancient gestures: it is the time of transhumance, the great seasonal migration of sheep and cows between the high mountain pastures and the stables in the valley.
A communal moment that merges landscape and culture, made of slow paths, echoing bells across meadows, sheepdogs guiding the way, and the watchful eyes of herders and shepherds who have protected this delicate balance between humans and mountains for centuries.
🌽 A cyclical rhythm tied to the land
In Valbelluna, transhumance is still alive—experienced not as folklore, but as a living necessity of mountain agriculture. In spring, herds climb toward the malghe (mountain huts) and alpine pastures, where the grass is fresher and richer. There, animals find nourishment, and the herders produce high-mountain cheeses with intense, authentic flavors.
In autumn, the return to the valley marks the end of the summer cycle, but also a time of celebration, remembrance, and community.
👨🌾 A tradition that endures
Today, in an increasingly fast-paced world, transhumance is also an act of cultural resistance. It tells of another time—of slow steps, skilled hands, oral knowledge, and respect for nature’s rhythms.
It’s not uncommon to encounter, along the trails of Valbelluna and the Belluno Dolomites, flocks on the move or herds accompanied by entire families, where even the youngest are learning to carry forward the wisdom of their grandparents.
🍾 Alpine flavors and mindful tourism
Transhumance also offers the chance to engage in slow tourism—the kind that watches, listens, and participates without disturbing. More and more visitors follow these routes, stopping at malghe to taste fresh butter, mountain cheese, or perhaps buy smoked ricotta made from that very day’s milk.
Events and reenactments help raise awareness, but it is in the everyday life of the shepherds that transhumance holds its true meaning: not nostalgia, but a deliberate way of life.
🔄 A living mountain
To speak of transhumance in Valbelluna is to tell the story of a mountain that lives and works, not just one that is admired. It means recognizing the value of the land, the biodiversity preserved in the pastures, and the millennia-old connection between humans and the Dolomite environment.
A simple, ancient gesture, repeated every year—but one that still has much to teach.
And you? Have you ever witnessed transhumance in person, among the landscapes of Valbelluna and the Belluno Dolomites?
