In the days before the annual pilgrimage of the cows arriving on our mountain for the annual transumanza the pastore arrive to prepare the road by tying a thin white string along the roadside from Paschero to Morinesio, both are small hamlets in the area called Stroppo. Somehow a string that I could snap with my hands is sufficient to keep 100 1,000 pound animals from straying off the road. I later figured out it is because the cows have been trained to fear the white string because on the farm in the valley, the white string has an electrical charge!
Large trucks transport the cows to the parking lot in Paschero where the Municipio is located. The animals happily exit the trailers and begin their slow ascent being coaxed along by the pastore and herding dogs.
The procession takes about an hour, so if you happen to be driving up or down the hill at that particular moment there is no other option than to wait and watch.
Early in the morning while laying in bed the sound of cow-bells and dogs barking in the distance announce the arrival of the cows. John grabs his cameras to try to get ahead of the arrival.
The cows pass through our village to their first stopping point in a field between Morinesio and Cucchiales where they proceed to denude the entire place of every flower that grew there before. In the years that we have lived here I’ve learned that the cows not only provide a grass cutting service, but the effect the particular flowers, grass and herbs that grow in Vale Maira are different than the varieties that grow in the other nearby valleys and those different plant varieties have a notable impact on the flavour of the milk and ultimately the cheese. These cows have been eating hay all winter and when they arrive on the mountain the competition among the beasts for different flowers and fauna is amazing to watch.
After the cows have eaten all that is edible and rested from climbing the mountain the pastore along with his sentry dogs will be their constant companions throughout the summer, move the herd to the next field higher up the mountain. There are a few milking stations in different places on the mountain, but oftentimes the milking is done manually mid field to keep a constant supply flowing to the local cheese makers.
As the summer progresses and different flowers bloom in different fields the cows continue to climb enjoying their summer home in the cool mountain breezes.
In September when the nights begin to get cold, the decent will begin. The fields will have recovered and will provide a different array of plants to offer the ever-hungry cows as they climb down the mountain. The night before they leave Stroppo, we can hear their bells and mooing in the same field where they spend their first night the previous spring. In the morning they pass through our village on their way down to the trucks waiting in the same parking lot in Paschero that will take them back to the farm where they will spend the winter. Even though climbing down the hill is easier both the pastore and the cows seem to go much slower with less stress and excitement.
Leaving the open fields with beautiful views, sweet fresh mountain air and natural spring water is melancholy for all.
Sadly, we are selling our lovely home in Morinesio – Stroppo. You can find more information about it here.
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