Tratturi e transumanza: un patrimonio immateriale?

Transhumance was recognised in 2019 by UNESCO as an “intangible cultural heritage” but this ancient pastoral tradition has traversed territories leaving important material traces over the centuries that, today, seem to have lost their significance. Despite various historical-geographical studies, the importance attributed today to intangible values seems to have overshadowed the material relationship with the landscapes and the preservation of a series of architectures along the transhumance routes. While archival sources document the complex system of sheep-tracks with surprising accuracy, at present the relationship between these routes and the territory itself appears to be very weak. The lack of a precise census of the architectural heritage and of a conservation plan based on a systemic vision of the widespread heritage, has led to numerous disappearances and occasional redevelopment operations, often with alienating results.