A buttero (, plural butteri) or cavalcante is a mounted herder, usually of horses, of cattle, or of buffaloes, in

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

, predominantly in the

Maremma The Maremma (, ; from Latin , "maritime and) is a geographical region located between Lazio and Tuscany, Central Italy. The biggest city is Grosseto. The region, with a long history, is traditionally populated by the '' butteri'', mounted c ...

region, in the Roman Marshes or in the

Pontine Marshes 250px, Lake Fogliano, a coastal lagoon in the Pontine Plain The Pontine Marshes ( , ; , formerly also ; [] by Titus Livius, [] and [] by Pliny the Elder''Natural History'' 3.59.) is an approximately quadrangular area of former marshland ...

History

The buttero habitually rides a

horse The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 mi ...

of one of the working breeds of the Maremma and the

Roman Campagna The Roman Campagna () is a low-lying area surrounding Rome in the Lazio region of central Italy, with an area of approximately . It is bordered by the Tolfa and Sabatini mountains to the north, the Alban Hills to the southeast, and the Tyrrh ...

– the

Cavallo Romano della Maremma Laziale The Cavallo Romano della Maremma Laziale, or "Roman horse of the part of the Maremma that is in Lazio", is a horse breed native to the Lazio region of Italy. An ancient breed, it was officially recognised only in 2010; it is now one of the fi ...

, the

Maremmano The Maremmano is a breed of horse originating in the Maremma area of Tuscany and northern Lazio in Italy. Traditionally a hardy working horse used by the Buttero, ''Butteri'' for livestock management, it is today principally a saddle horse. Exte ...

, and the

Tolfetano The Tolfetano or Cavallo Tolfetano is a breed of horse from the northern part of the Lazio region of Italy. It is indigenous to the Monti della Tolfa range of hills which lie within the Maremma, Maremma Laziale, and which give the breed its na ...

. He tends

livestock Livestock are the Domestication, domesticated animals that are raised in an Agriculture, agricultural setting to provide labour and produce diversified products for consumption such as meat, Egg as food, eggs, milk, fur, leather, and wool. The t ...

, usually

cattle Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, bovid ungulates widely kept as livestock. They are prominent modern members of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus '' Bos''. Mature female cattle are calle ...

(such as the native

Maremmana The Maremmana is a breed of cattle reared in the Maremma, a former marshland region in southern Tuscany and northern Lazio in central Italy. It is raised principally in the provinces of Grosseto, Rome and Viterbo.mazzarella'', a stick employed for herding oxen and horses. They are still present in the memory of older Tuscans and in folk celebrations. On the day of Sant'Antonio Abate (January 17) for the benediction of the animals, they parade in the centers of

Tarquinia Tarquinia (), formerly Corneto, is an old city in the province of Viterbo, Lazio, Central Italy, known chiefly for its ancient Etruscans, Etruscan tombs in the widespread necropolis, necropoleis, or cemeteries. Tarquinia was designated as a ...

Tuscania Tuscania is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Viterbo, Lazio Region, Italy. Until the late 19th century the town was known as Toscanella. History Antiquity According to the legend, Tuscania was founded by Aeneas' son, Ascanius, wher ...

Marta Marta may refer to: People * Marta (given name), a feminine given name * Märta, a feminine given name * Marta (surname) * Marta (footballer) (born 1986), Brazilian professional footballer Places * Marta (river), an Italian river that flow ...

, and

Valentano 250px, View of Valentano. Valentano is a town and ''comune'' of the province of Viterbo, in the Lazio region of central Italy. It is from the provincial capital, Viterbo. left, 220px, Rocca Farnese in Valentano. The placename is of uncertain ori ...

. Butteri participate in the various fetes of the ''

merca Merca (, ) is the capital city of the Lower Shebelle province of Somalia, a historic port city in the region. It is located approximately to the southwest of the nation's capital Mogadishu. Merca is the traditional home territory of the Bimal c ...

'' in

Alberese Alberese () is a rural town in southern Tuscany, a '' frazione'' of the ''comune'' of Grosseto. It is situated 20 km south-east of the capital, in the heart of the Maremma Regional Park. This area includes the surrounding rural territorie ...

Blera Blera is a small town and ''comune'' in the northern Lazio region of Italy. It was known during the Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, ...

Monte Romano Monte Romano () is a (municipality) in the Province of Viterbo in the Italian region of Latium, located about northwest of Rome and about southwest of Viterbo Viterbo (; Central Italian, Viterbese: ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality ...

, and

. In the merca held in April at the ''Roccaccia'', not far from Tarquinia, after having branded the young calves born in the year, the butteri compete in games of ability. Solemn participation in various celebrations of

Jesus Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...

Christ Jesus ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Christianity, central figure of Christianity, the M ...

Passion Passion, the Passion or the Passions may refer to: Emotion * Passion (emotion), a very strong feeling about a person or thing * Passions (philosophy), emotional states as used in philosophical discussions * Stoic passions, various forms of emotio ...

assumes particular color and vivacity in the procession of the Resurrected Christ held in Tarquinia in the late afternoon of

Easter Easter, also called Pascha ( Aramaic: פַּסְחָא , ''paskha''; Greek: πάσχα, ''páskha'') or Resurrection Sunday, is a Christian festival and cultural holiday commemorating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, described in t ...

. The mounted butteri precede the statue through the crowd, firing salvoes with their maremmana shotguns. The life of the buttero of other times was not to be envied from a qualitative point of view: the hard job in the marshes of the Maremma began before dawn, with rounding up the herds on horseback. They would take a unique meal before midday: :''We made loaf with bread and chicory accompanied (but not always) from a piece of ventresca or budellone. We picked up tomatoes, chicory, potatoes and ferlenghi for the acquacotta. At dusk, after the return to the barn, the only comfort was the '' rapazzola '', a rudimentary bed, close to the beasts. The town was sometimes visited, for the inn, to warm up themselves with the wine of the wine cellar, to discuss livestock and to tune up a song "a braccio".''

Roots in Northern Italian military history

The image of the military mercenary of the 14th and 15th centuries in Northern Italy (called ''cavalieri'') riding in suits of armor wielding the ''mazza'' (mace) persists in that of the buttero. Many pastoralists of Northern Italy found better pay as mercenaries of the period, but when unemployed returned to their pastoral lifestyle. They brought back their accoutrements of battle and adapted them, whimsically, to herding.

Current roles in Italian society

With only five or six large herds still tended by butteri today in the unspoiled national park of Maremma (the rest of Italy's livestock largely raised by commercial concerns), the tradition of the butteri is still relived outside the park in small demonstrations in the region's rural towns and in the Italian equivalent of

rodeo Rodeo () is a competitive equestrian sport that arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain and Mexico, expanding throughout the Americas and to other nations. It was originally based on the skills required of the working vaqu ...

s. It is still possible to ride with the butteri as they check their cattle in the Parco Regionale della Maremma (Maremma regional park).

Buffalo Bill and the butteri

In 1890,

Buffalo Bill William Frederick Cody (February 26, 1846January 10, 1917), better known as Buffalo Bill, was an American soldier, bison hunter, and showman. One of the most famous figures of the American Old West, Cody started his legend at the young age ...

took his Wild West show to Rome and northern Italy (during his tour of Europe) to display cowboy skills, such as the capture of young cattle and the taming of wild horses. Unimpressed, the Italian cowboys (the butteri) led by Augusto Imperiali challenged Buffalo Bill and his show to a contest of skill. As the story is told, the butteri proved far more experienced than the Buffalo Bill troupe, and the national moment of glory for the butteri was savored for many years.

Remembrance

The first Sunday in August in Tuscany still provides an annual festival to commemorate the skills of the butteri.

Existence outside of Italy

Italian emigrants to California brought the tradition of the buttero with them, where they called themselves ''cavalcanti''. They brought with them skills in rounding up large herds of cattle, usage of the lasso, and horsemanship.

References

{{Mounted stock herders Animal husbandry occupations Horse-related professions and professionals Tuscany Pastoralists