Transhumance and the Via dei Biozzi
Transhumance represented for centuries a phenomenon of great importance for the local economy, which has always been tied to livestock farming, the use of woodland resources and subsistence agriculture. It is a form of animal husbandry that involved an annual double journey by shepherds and their flocks from the Apennines to the Maremma and back, according to the season.
The phenomenon of transhumance has profoundly shaped many material aspects of life — from working tools to items of clothing, from culinary recipes to remedies against illness — as well as language, mindsets and traditions.
The Via dei Biozzi is one of the transhumance routes, the easternmost in Tuscany, descending from the Tuscan-Romagnol Apennines down to the Maremma. It takes its name from the Biozzi family, the largest landowners and livestock farmers of the Upper Val Marecchia: originally from Bagno di Romagna, they held lands, herds and flocks throughout the area, but above all in the territory of Badia Tedalda, where their largest estate was located at Viamaggio. It was from the Viamaggio farm that every September thousands of sheep — along with cattle and horses — set off on a journey that would bring them to the Maremma in ten days.
The itinerary that follows this ancient route stretches for 230 km, passing through the provinces of Arezzo, Siena and Grosseto.
View the full itineraryFor further informations
Ass. Pro Loco di Badia Tedalda
Via Alpe Della Luna, 4
452032 – Badia Tedalda (AR)
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