PRODUCTIONS: THE SHEPHERD OF THE ALPS

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Luigi Cammarota

SD Cinematografica

30 Min.

HD

Piedmont, Biellese Prealps. In the summer shepherds and animals have climbed where there was green grass and water at will, but when the cold comes men and cattle must descend to the valley, where along the Deer River and in the "basket" of Candelo will find food and drink for many more months. So we follow one of the last transhumancities on foot of the Alps, through the Prealps of Biellese, the sanctuary of Oropa, the feast of the wool of Ternengo, next to the great monuments of industrial archaeology of the wool mills of the golden age. Special dogs accompany the flocks. In local dialect they are called "tabuì"" and are the only native breed for the management of the flocks. It is the shepherd of Oropa, an ancient dog, descendant of the dog of the Neolithic Alps that in the wake of the Roman legions was the progenitor of all European breeds. It is a medium-sized dog, very intelligent, balanced, tireless, accustomed to driving the flock with a particular technique, "pinching" with delicate bites the garacks of animals. In order not to injure the paws of herbivores, they must learn to dose the strength of the teeth.
But can the shepherd of the Alps be called "race"? Maybe, but it's not important. A working dog applies to what it does, and a good dog doesn't read the pedigree. It can read the movements of the sheep, but above all the looks and gestures of man, it knows how to decipher the voice of the shepherd in all its nuances. Thus, in the millennia, it became the most trusted workmate, even if the colors of his cloak, his size or the shape of the ears are not perfectly classified. What matters is the sposition of his heart.