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Sant’Arcangelo · Basilicata
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A Podolica herd at sunset during the transhumance journey

Land · animals · journey

The old road between valley and mountain.

Transhumance takes the livestock between the lowland around Sant’Arcangelo and the high pastures of Monte Raparo, following the seasons.

1870Monte Raparo · Agri valley

What is transhumance?

Pastoral knowledge written into the landscape.

It is the seasonal movement of livestock along tratturi: rural tracks connecting pasture, resting places and areas with different climates. More than a journey, it is a way of reading the weather, the grass and the needs of the animals.

Cattle grazing below the Lucanian mountains
Lucanian pasture
Archive photograph of the herd moving along a rural track

Palazzo–Maggi family farm

Knowledge passed down through the family since 1870.

The farm recounts that its ancestors were raising cattle on the Raparo highlands as early as 1870. Giovanni Palazzo continued that tradition, sharing his experience with his son Salvatore and the wider family.

03generations
The herd moves along a dusty rural track

Two landscapes, one journey.

  1. 01

    Towards the high pastures

    In the warmer months, the livestock leaves the Agri valley and climbs towards the cooler pastures of Monte Raparo.

  2. 02

    The return to Sant’Arcangelo

    As colder weather arrives, the route is reversed, returning to the flatter land along the banks of the River Agri.

Archive story · July 2012

A day on the move through the Lucanian Apennines.

In the farm’s account of the third Transhumance Festival, the herd left Contrada Piano San Vito and crossed the Agri valley towards San Martino d’Agri and Raparello.

around 700Podolica cattle
around 30horse riders
around 40 kmtravelled
The herd crosses a road during transhumance

The journey involved a day on the move, an overnight rest beside the River Agri and an early start the following morning. Farmers, riders and walkers accompanied the herd across fords and rural roads, turning pastoral work into a shared occasion.

This is a historical account referring to July 2012. It does not mean that the Transhumance Festival is currently scheduled or available to book.

Transhumance on film

Five views of a tradition that is still alive.

News reports, documentaries and archive footage preserve the sound, rhythm and scale of the journey. Play them here without leaving the page; the original Italian audio is retained.

The herd gathered before the mountains at sunset

A living inheritance

From the land to the table, without separating the stories.

Transhumance helps explain the connection between the family farm, the territory and I Sapori Dei Briganti. It is the context behind the hospitality, cooking and story of the local produce.

Meet the familyExplore the produce