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| Patter of Hooves Heralds New Season in Tuscany and Sustains a Tradition | Patter of Hooves Heralds New Season in Tuscany and Sustains a Tradition |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| CHIUSDINO, Italy — As the morning dew faded recently, a group of riders in these Tuscan hills polished their boots and groomed their horses, then swung into the saddle, ready to drive their cows to the nearest pasture. | CHIUSDINO, Italy — As the morning dew faded recently, a group of riders in these Tuscan hills polished their boots and groomed their horses, then swung into the saddle, ready to drive their cows to the nearest pasture. |
| The ritual was part of an ancient tradition, the transumanza, the seasonal moving of cattle from one land to another. For centuries, it has taken place twice a year in Italian regions where it was necessary to move cows and sheep from the cool mountaintops where they spent the summer to warm lowlands as winter approached, and vice versa. | The ritual was part of an ancient tradition, the transumanza, the seasonal moving of cattle from one land to another. For centuries, it has taken place twice a year in Italian regions where it was necessary to move cows and sheep from the cool mountaintops where they spent the summer to warm lowlands as winter approached, and vice versa. |
| But while the dayslong ride through Tuscany’s marshlands and steep paths was once a necessity of life, today it is done mostly to keep the tradition alive, and, in doing so, to maintain an essential link to the land, to the rhythm of the changing seasons and to the ancient Italian past. | But while the dayslong ride through Tuscany’s marshlands and steep paths was once a necessity of life, today it is done mostly to keep the tradition alive, and, in doing so, to maintain an essential link to the land, to the rhythm of the changing seasons and to the ancient Italian past. |
| “It’s not nostalgia,” said Ernesto Benini Galeffi, the owner of a construction equipment company and one of the event’s organizers. “We take to the past to improve our future.” | “It’s not nostalgia,” said Ernesto Benini Galeffi, the owner of a construction equipment company and one of the event’s organizers. “We take to the past to improve our future.” |
| His group of about 40 riders, who saddled up early this month, included professional cowboys and horse performers and breeders from Italy and France. | His group of about 40 riders, who saddled up early this month, included professional cowboys and horse performers and breeders from Italy and France. |
| But they were also joined by horse aficionados who usually work as doctors, accountants or entrepreneurs and volunteered for the drive. | But they were also joined by horse aficionados who usually work as doctors, accountants or entrepreneurs and volunteered for the drive. |
| “Transmitting the tradition of the transumanza is important to us,” said Marco Mariotti, 37, a third-generation breeder with a doctorate in zootechnical genetics who was an organizer. “When you see hasty passers-by who stop to look at animals, it’s beautiful.” | “Transmitting the tradition of the transumanza is important to us,” said Marco Mariotti, 37, a third-generation breeder with a doctorate in zootechnical genetics who was an organizer. “When you see hasty passers-by who stop to look at animals, it’s beautiful.” |
| Today, some farmers still move their livestock in the seasonal tradition, which dates back centuries. More often than not, though, they transport the animals in vans, which are less expensive and more efficient. | Today, some farmers still move their livestock in the seasonal tradition, which dates back centuries. More often than not, though, they transport the animals in vans, which are less expensive and more efficient. |
| This year’s cattle drive — from the coastal region of Maremma to central Tuscany — was deliberately intended to straddle epochs. The riders were equipped with both the traditional staffs of herders and cellphones, a concession to modern-day necessities. | This year’s cattle drive — from the coastal region of Maremma to central Tuscany — was deliberately intended to straddle epochs. The riders were equipped with both the traditional staffs of herders and cellphones, a concession to modern-day necessities. |
| The event was intended to underline the human aspect of the ride, which passed through countryside and city alike, in what became a spectacle at once timeless and anachronistic. | The event was intended to underline the human aspect of the ride, which passed through countryside and city alike, in what became a spectacle at once timeless and anachronistic. |
| “Marching through nature and cities at the rhythm of the animals changes the point of view on the territory, for those who march and for those who watch,” said Manolo, a French artist who, along with his partner, Camille — both of whom go by their stage names — spectacularly led the horses at each stop atop their robust Percheron and Friesian mounts. | “Marching through nature and cities at the rhythm of the animals changes the point of view on the territory, for those who march and for those who watch,” said Manolo, a French artist who, along with his partner, Camille — both of whom go by their stage names — spectacularly led the horses at each stop atop their robust Percheron and Friesian mounts. |
| The two took part as professional riders who run an equestrian troupe, the Theater of the Centaurus, which has taken them all over the world to perform and display the bond between humans and horses. | The two took part as professional riders who run an equestrian troupe, the Theater of the Centaurus, which has taken them all over the world to perform and display the bond between humans and horses. |
| Many of their fellow riders on the drive, even if amateurs, absorbed the lesson. | Many of their fellow riders on the drive, even if amateurs, absorbed the lesson. |
| “Here you see the world through the horse, you pay attention to barking dogs, wild boar crossings, you are inside nature, not just in touch with it,” said Andrea Espositi, 61, a doctor from Rome who started riding horses again 15 years ago. | “Here you see the world through the horse, you pay attention to barking dogs, wild boar crossings, you are inside nature, not just in touch with it,” said Andrea Espositi, 61, a doctor from Rome who started riding horses again 15 years ago. |
| In their week as cowboys, these riders spent their days taking care of their horses, catching reluctant mules that escaped the fences overnight and accompanying to pasture the Maremmana cows — a local, ancient breed famous for its large bellies and long, lyre-shaped horns. | In their week as cowboys, these riders spent their days taking care of their horses, catching reluctant mules that escaped the fences overnight and accompanying to pasture the Maremmana cows — a local, ancient breed famous for its large bellies and long, lyre-shaped horns. |
| “When you are first surrounded by these cows, you can shiver,” said Birgit Neitzke-Danti, 53, a wedding planner with coral-varnished nails, azure eyeliner and blond hair lying on a perfectly ironed white shirt. “But now having them ahead of me, with those long horns, feels like looking at the sea,” Ms. Neitzke-Danti said. “It’s relaxing.” | “When you are first surrounded by these cows, you can shiver,” said Birgit Neitzke-Danti, 53, a wedding planner with coral-varnished nails, azure eyeliner and blond hair lying on a perfectly ironed white shirt. “But now having them ahead of me, with those long horns, feels like looking at the sea,” Ms. Neitzke-Danti said. “It’s relaxing.” |
| Yet in Siena, the medieval city famed for its horse race, the Palio, the idea of dozens of men and women on horseback driving loose cattle through streets did not enthuse everyone. | Yet in Siena, the medieval city famed for its horse race, the Palio, the idea of dozens of men and women on horseback driving loose cattle through streets did not enthuse everyone. |
| Cows were not allowed to enter the city, as opposition politicians feared both the chaos and the dung. | Cows were not allowed to enter the city, as opposition politicians feared both the chaos and the dung. |
| Still, the riders were allowed to conduct their trotting foals through the streets, as amused residents and tourists lined the way in a frenzy of flashes from iPads and smartphones. | Still, the riders were allowed to conduct their trotting foals through the streets, as amused residents and tourists lined the way in a frenzy of flashes from iPads and smartphones. |
| “It’s a way to promote our lifestyle, which is completely in line with nature,” the mayor of Siena, Bruno Valentini, said serenely while machines hastily cleaned the cobblestones in Piazza del Campo, soon after the cowboys had paid their homage to him and to the local authorities. | “It’s a way to promote our lifestyle, which is completely in line with nature,” the mayor of Siena, Bruno Valentini, said serenely while machines hastily cleaned the cobblestones in Piazza del Campo, soon after the cowboys had paid their homage to him and to the local authorities. |
| The transumanza and its tracks once marked most of Italy’s regions because of the country’s conformation with a long mountain chain running through it and beaches all around the boot-shaped peninsula. | The transumanza and its tracks once marked most of Italy’s regions because of the country’s conformation with a long mountain chain running through it and beaches all around the boot-shaped peninsula. |
| Shepherds used to help keep the woods clean and check the mountains for erosion or fallen trees. In Tuscany, they also contributed to the area’s economy for centuries, as its grand duke exacted a toll tax from the shepherds at each passage until the late 1770s. | |
| As mechanization came about, and cars and vans became more affordable in the 1950s, shepherds started moving their cattle in vehicles, saving time. Residents slowly forgot about the old tracks and the cowboys who once rode those paths. | As mechanization came about, and cars and vans became more affordable in the 1950s, shepherds started moving their cattle in vehicles, saving time. Residents slowly forgot about the old tracks and the cowboys who once rode those paths. |
| “But I haven’t forgotten. It’s my tradition, my culture. I want it to continue,” said Giancarlo Cerofolini, who has spent 36 of his 46 years on horseback in Tuscany and the Lazio region or at Disneyland Paris, where he played the cowboy in the Buffalo Bill show for four years. | “But I haven’t forgotten. It’s my tradition, my culture. I want it to continue,” said Giancarlo Cerofolini, who has spent 36 of his 46 years on horseback in Tuscany and the Lazio region or at Disneyland Paris, where he played the cowboy in the Buffalo Bill show for four years. |
| But these days, many farms in Tuscany and the Lazio region struggle to find shepherds on horseback for their cattle. Those who still do the job as in the old days wake up at 4 a.m. and may have to ride for 10 or 11 hours a day, grouping the cattle, vaccinating them or moving them from one pasture to another. | But these days, many farms in Tuscany and the Lazio region struggle to find shepherds on horseback for their cattle. Those who still do the job as in the old days wake up at 4 a.m. and may have to ride for 10 or 11 hours a day, grouping the cattle, vaccinating them or moving them from one pasture to another. |
| “It’s tiring, but when you are here, with the animals, all your concerns fade away,” said Aldo Novembri, 57, a cowboy who manages about 120 animals in his farm in southern Tuscany and says he has covered more ground on a horse than in a car. | “It’s tiring, but when you are here, with the animals, all your concerns fade away,” said Aldo Novembri, 57, a cowboy who manages about 120 animals in his farm in southern Tuscany and says he has covered more ground on a horse than in a car. |
| “Of course, this is mostly a show to me,” he said dryly, yet romantically, his reins in the left hand and the wooden staff in his right, while his dark brown Maremmano horse agilely trotted near the Cistercian abbey where St. Galgano is said to have planted his sword in the stone, a legend connected to King Arthur of Britain. | “Of course, this is mostly a show to me,” he said dryly, yet romantically, his reins in the left hand and the wooden staff in his right, while his dark brown Maremmano horse agilely trotted near the Cistercian abbey where St. Galgano is said to have planted his sword in the stone, a legend connected to King Arthur of Britain. |
| “But you can feel the spirit of the transumanza, of brotherhood among people,” he said. “It’s like a family here.” | “But you can feel the spirit of the transumanza, of brotherhood among people,” he said. “It’s like a family here.” |