Breeds of The Maremma and the butteri
Coastal Tuscany, where mounted herdsmen called butteri still work grey Maremmana cattle with great lyre-shaped horns.
Breeds of this place
Best time: April to June and September to October.
The Maremma is the coastal plain of southern Tuscany and northern Lazio, once marshy and malarial, drained and settled over the last two centuries. Its cattle, the Maremmana, are grey, strong and hardy, with very large curving horns. They are worked by the butteri, herdsmen on Maremmano horses who use a long hooked stick to move cattle.
The Maremmana
Maremmana cattle are of the Podolian type, related to the grey cattle of Hungary and the Balkans. They were draught animals on the heavy soils of the plain and grazers in the marshes, and are now raised for beef. They live outdoors in herds and are known for their resilience. The breed came close to disappearing in the twentieth century and is now protected.
The butteri
The butteri work cattle on horseback, rounding them up, branding calves and moving herds. A well-known story tells how butteri bested Buffalo Bill's cowboys in a contest in Rome in 1890; accounts differ on what happened. Today the regional estate at Alberese, inside the Maremma Regional Park, keeps herds of Maremmana cattle and horses and holds displays of the butteri's skills.
A trail idea for The Maremma and the butteri
- Alberese The village and regional estate where the herds are kept.
- Maremma Regional Park Coast, pine woods and pasture with grazing cattle.
- Grosseto The provincial town at the heart of the plain.
Written by the EveryCow desk with AI assistance. Background: "Maremma" on Wikipedia. Fair dates, markets and visiting rules change; check locally before travelling, and keep a respectful distance from working animals. If something is wrong, tell us.
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