{"id":16345,"date":"2024-03-14T09:20:45","date_gmt":"2024-03-14T08:20:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.kronostories.it\/la-transumanza-la-voce-delle-greggi-e-delle-mandrie-in-cammino-le-geometrie-dellanimo-tra-i-tratturi-abbruzzesi\/"},"modified":"2024-03-14T09:39:25","modified_gmt":"2024-03-14T08:39:25","slug":"la-transumanza-la-voce-delle-greggi-e-delle-mandrie-in-cammino-le-geometrie-dellanimo-tra-i-tratturi-abbruzzesi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kronostories.it\/en\/la-transumanza-la-voce-delle-greggi-e-delle-mandrie-in-cammino-le-geometrie-dellanimo-tra-i-tratturi-abbruzzesi\/","title":{"rendered":"Transhumance, the voice of the flocks and herds on the move. The geometries of the soul along the Abruzzo tratturi"},"content":{"rendered":"

Step by step, breath by breath, the “voice” of the flocks and herds on the move.<\/p>\n

Transhumance<\/strong>, from the verb transumare meaning to cross, transit over the ground<\/strong>, is an ancient practice that has shaped both culture and landscapes, fostering valuable social, cultural, and commercial exchanges.<\/p>\n

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We could define it as the millenary journey of shepherds along the ancient tratturi, the grassy paths traced by the passage of flocks starting from the Abruzzo Apennines<\/strong>, winding for hundreds of kilometers along the main routes before branching off into numerous paths where animal resting places were found, until reaching the Tavoliere di Puglia.<\/p>\n

“September, let’s go. It’s time to migrate. Now in the land of Abruzzo my shepherds leave the stables and head towards the sea: they descend to the wild Adriatic, which is as green as the pastures of the mountains.<\/em>”<\/p>\n

Gabriele D’Annunzio, one of the most significant figures in Italian literature, native to Pescara, consecrated the transhumance of the Abruzzo shepherds with these verses from the poem “I Pastori” which, with every word, convey the intimacy of the ritual, not only the beauty, the fatigue, and the passion, but also the image of the shepherd preparing for the long journey, far from home and with great hardship.<\/p>\n

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In Abruzzo, the main tratturi are three: the Tratturo Magno L’Aquila – Foggia<\/strong>, the longest among Italian tratturi, a route of 244 kilometers, starts from the Basilica of Santa Maria di Collemaggio where, traditionally, shepherds gathered for departure.<\/p>\n

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Basilica of Santa Maria di Collemaggio – L’Aquila<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It crosses some of the Most Beautiful Villages of Italy, Scanno, Navelli with its famous plain known for saffron production, Pacentro, and Penne. Seven municipalities in the province of Pescara, including Corvara, Pietranico, and Rosciano, and twenty municipalities in the province of Chieti starting from its capital, Lanciano, Guardiagrele, a Lombard stronghold and home to interesting artisan activities; Vasto with its wonderful Cathedral and Castle; San Salvo with the 11th-century Monastery.<\/p>\n

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Panoramic view of Guardiagrele, among “The Most Beautiful Villages of Italy”.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Then the Tratturo Celano – Foggia<\/strong>, which crosses Chieti and Vasto with the wonderful and romantic Costa dei Trabocchi, and the Tratturo Centurelle – Montesecco<\/strong>, 155 kilometers, which crosses Civitaretenga, a tiny hamlet of Navelli marked by Christian and Jewish symbols, testimony of an ancient Jewish ghetto, and ends in Molise passing through Bussi sul Tirino, Torre de\u2019 Passeri, and Manoppello with its famous Sanctuary of the Holy Face, which has been a pilgrimage site for four centuries, “a place of conversions, reconciliation with God, and an oasis of peace” (John Paul II).<\/p>\n