Provence-Beyond (Beyond the French Riviera) ®
Related:
[ Riez | Saint-Etienne-de-Tinée ]
Photos:
sheep returning to the Plateau de Caussols
The transhumance occurs twice a year to transfer livestock between the low-land pastures and the alpine meadows. In the summer, the movement towards the alpine destinations begins in June, traditionally around Saint-Jean's day (24 June). When the first snows begin in October, the flocks begin their descent back to the winter pastures in the low-lands.
In the early days, the flocks were herded by shepherds and their dogs, and the animals had plenty of time to become acclimated to the change in altitude during the journey. Today, most flocks are moved by large, double-tiered, articulated trucks; behemoths on the tiny mountain roads. Even so, if you're traveling in the Beyond country during the time of the transhumance, you'll still have plenty of opportunity to see flocks of sheep being herded down the small roads and through villages often to staging points for the longer trip.
In the Southern Alps, around 10,000 sheep are transferred during the seasonal transhumance. The summer transfer towards higher altitudes is celebrated every year with the traditional Fête de la Transhumance in several towns and villages, including:
- Saint-Etienne-de-Tinée (06)
- St Martin-du-Brôme (04)
- St Rémy (13)
- Jausiers (04)
- Riez (04)
