THE TRANSHUMANCE
GUIDED TRADITIONAL ALPINE PASTORALISM
ITALY // 24th - 28th MAY
An immersive weekend to learn the methods of traditional mountain subsistence as you drive cattle into alpine pasture and discover the meaning of real food
What is The Transhumance?
Transhumance is the seasonal movement of livestock across (trans) land (humus). A prehistoric tradition locked in with the cycles of nature to move with the herd at the beginning of summer to upland pasture, taking advantage of nature’s abundance at this time of year.
At Up There The Last we have been on this annual adventure since 2017, as from a food conservation standpoint, it is at the core of our values. It epitomises successful human balance in nature as the herd is guided safely to wild pasture on which the animals are left to graze. This complex mix of herbs and grasses is converted into milk by the animals, which in turn is preserved and stabilised into food like cheese with fermentation, gravity and salt, using natural methods that are uncorrupted by the use of chemicals and suffocating rules of modern food safety authorities.
This then feeds the herders themselves, and if we wish we can step back and observe that in this moment the animals and the humans who live with them, by consuming the mountain, become it.
It has been like this for thousands of years.
For a detailed description of the cultural relevance and importance of the transhumance, read this piece by Max Jones.
Who is this trip for?
In our opinion, everyone should join the transhumance at some point in their lives. It is at once beautiful, grounding, humbling and challenging, and perhaps one of the most powerful ways to connect with our natural surroundings - a real leveller that will challenge the way you think and eat.
This trip is designed to break down what you have learned about food in the 21st century by total immersion into a mountain culture that has propagated techniques of food production rooted in tradition for multiple generations. With no airport and no motorway access, the Biellese is a special area that has remained largely untouched by tourism and has held on in real-time to its rich heritage of survivalist cuisine and food preservation, from which we all can learn.
To date, we have been joined on previous expeditions into the Biellese mountains internationally by farmers, cooks, herdsmen, cheesemakers and mongers, chefs, artisans, fish smokers, writers, photographers and nature lovers.
What’s included?
A Biellese bastun herding stick
Three nights accomodation in a 19th century Biellese villa and one night in a chalet above the treeline at 1600m
Immersive cheesemaking - Traditional, raw, hand-milked and natural starter Macagn’ cheese
Hyper-regional traditional mountain recipes and “forbidden food” tasting seminar
Bespoke visit to a community oven for skill-sharing
Raw milk masterclass with traditional hand-made mountain butter and real cheese
Guided ascent of an alp with autochthonous herd and herders
All meals, which are intentionally focused on traditional mountain cooking methods and disappearing traditional recipes
Access to our collection of “illegal” butter, charcuterie and cheese you will encounter on the trip to take home
Optional private booking to and from Milan or Turin Airports (150 Euros Return)
DAY ONE
ARRIVAL
MALPENSA / TURIN AIRPORT
Optional collection from Milan Malpensa / Linate / Orio Al Serio or Turin Caselle Airports and an hour long drive towards the mountains, passing through the Piedmontese flatlands and rice fields before arriving in Camburzano, a village in the province of Biella, nestled in the foothills of the pre-alps.
CAMBURZANO
At 388m altitude, this is the base camp village for the transhumance trip. You are welcomed in to the your accommodation at Up There The Last HQ, a short walk to the farm from which the cattle drive begins. Today is gentle and calm as all guests arrive at the villa seperately.
VERMOGNO COMMUNITY OVEN
In the early evening we will set off to the forgotten village of Vermogno, home to the community oven recently brought back to life in 2021 by the Polidori family. Based on the ancient Roman ovens of Pompeii, the last use of the community oven was during the second world war, dated by bullet holes on one of the walls. A fantastic way to share the a large fire amongst many and to make available the powerful oven for everyone, this tradition is what inspired the Up There The Last Community Smokehouse in Ireland. We will have a joyful evening of recipe sharing, bringing knowledge from far and wide to share round this wonderful community event.
BED
After dinner we head back to the villa for a nightcap from the in-house collection of Amari, and head to bed to your own room to sleep.
DAY TWO
BIELLA & THE RUSTICO
LEASURELY BREAKFAST
You are awoken by the welcome scent of coffee rising through the floorboards from the kitchen. Come downstairs for a leasurely breakfast in the garden, based around traditional morning foods.
BIELLA AND THE MARKET
After breakfast we visit the market in Biella, one of the best places to meet makers and buy food for today’s lunch, which is an easy-going communal meal back at the villa. Everyone can contribute a dish to this lunch, with the option to cook on a fire as well as the kitchen. The afternoon is spent relaxing in readiness for the huge journey the next day, so book-reading and optional nearby hikes to get the juices flowing!
RUSTICO TASTING ROOM
With the mountains looming overhead, arrive at the Up There The Last tasting room. Re-designed to echo the traditional farmhouse vernacular this authentic space will play host to an evening of hyper-local food that is steeped in tradition, a large portion of which is technically illegal through its traditional and non-commercial provenance. Specifically sourced and curated by Up There The Last, these are amongst some of the last true foods that are being produced in the region, and the talking point behind the evening’s tasting event as well as in-depth discussion of the transhumance’s heritage, influence on local food and how we can be beneficiaries of these natural methods.
BED
After dinner, you will hit the hay in the early evening for a 2am rise. Accommodation for this night is in your own individual room.
DAY THREE
THE ALPÁ (ASCENT)
RUSTICO
A 2am rise and meet for coffee and prep for the 10 hour, 1000m altitude hike up the mountain.
THE FERRERO FARM
After a 1km walk you will arrive at the Ferrero family farm to meet the herd and chief herder Adam, observe milking and have a second coffee with raw milk straight from the udder, often with nip of grappa in it. Bells are fitted to the cattle, head-torches are lit and the transhumance begins. The herd is 40 strong with horses bringing up the rear. You are now herding and will be allocated roughly 5 cows to guide for the duration of the walk.
CITY OF BIELLA
The walk begins by heading through the city of Biella in the middle of the night. This is because the air is cool, and traffic is at a minimum. Expect to keep the herd away from parked cars, fragile wing mirrors and shop windows. The town is still asleep, and as dawn breaks we are through into the higher, orbiting villages of the city. The ancient streets become narrow and people begin to emerge from their homes in dressing robes with coffees, leaning over balconies to salute the herd.
- Break for homemade frittata, cheese, bread, charcuterie and wine/beer
THE FOREST
Emerging from the last village north of Biella, we move off-road and into the birch and chestnut forests. The native breed comes into its own in these rocky terrains, as they make their way through the more challenging woodland route.
- Break and rest
THE TREE-LINE & ALPINE PASTURE
Once through the forest the herd breaks through the tree-line and opens out onto stunning alpine pasture. Here, more attention is needed to corral the herd into a structured route for ascent through highly distracting and delicious wild flower pasture.
BOCCHETTO SESSERA FANFARE
To celebrate the tradition and achievement of the herders’ journey, townsfolk gather at a checkpoint to cheer the last push with a fanfare.
RIFUGIO ALPE MONCERCHIO
The final destination. From Bochetto Sessera, the herd climbs up and above the pre-alp ridge, the entrance to the deep mountains revealing the majesty and infinite peaks of the alpine expanse beyond. Here is the Rifugio Moncerchio, the mountain chalet where the cows will spend their summer, grazing the wild, timeless beauty of the mountain.
The herd and herders are exhausted, the cows are milked, let out to pasture and cheese is made from this extraordinary milk which is different immediately after the transhumance, due to the effort of the climb.
Boots off, packs down, it is time to feast on Polenta Concia, a traditional, hearty mountain dish of polenta, raw butter and Macagn’ cheese, made with the milk of the herd and served by the ladle from a giant, copper cauldron.
The rest of the afternoon is spent on the mountain dosing, walking, chatting and relaxing in the beautiful setting, as your tired legs will need a rest! Dinner is made by Giada Ferrero, showcasing food made from the herd itself like moccetta, salame di toro, macagn’ cheese and other hyper-local mountain cooking, served with an endless supply of local Nebbiolo.
THE GREATEST SLEEP OF THE YEAR!
After dinner, the day closes with a glorious sleep in cosy beds amongst the rafters of the attic.
DAY FOUR
THE MOUNTAIN
06:30
Early breakfast of home made yoghurt and fresh cheese followed by alpine hand milking and cheesemaking
You walk with herdsman Adam Ferrero to meet and milk the herd, and learn about ways of life above the treeline seeing first hand the wild difference between alpine pastoralism and conventional grazing. The milk is taken back to the chalet where Macagn’ cheese is made and you learn the true process of converting the alpine grass landscape into food through cheesemaking. To taste a fresh, unsalted curd is primal.
12:30pm
Lunch is a picnic sat in alpine pasture with water from the glacial spring, followed by a light hike to Bochetto Sessera where we are driven back to the Rustico for the evening.
THE VILLA
19:00
A dinner cooked to traditional, hyper-local family recipes served with natural wine with no label. These recipes are introduced and interpreted in situ by the cooks, with discussions on how they came to pass, variations on ingredients and the stories behind each dish. The menu will consist of the more obscure recipes from the Up There The Last archive that are in danger of disappearing. All of these dishes have a remarkable origin story that can influence the way we eat today through their extraordinary respect for nature and the zero-waste resourcefulness of the Alpigiani.
MENU
Pane, acciughe e burro // Anchovies, raw mountain butter and bread
Castagne con miele e lardo // Chestnut-smoked chestnuts with mountain butter, chestnut honey, grappa and lardo
Baccalá al latte // Salt cod in milk
Filoni // Breaded veal spinal chord with wild poppy bagnetto verde
Peperoni con bagna cauda // Red peppers with the original bagna cauda
Vitello Tonnato // Roast veal with tuna and caper mayonnaise
Carne cruda equina // Horse tartare with walnut oil and sorrel
Insalata de erbette con uova sode // Wild herbs dressed with boiled egg
Palpitun // Pear and chocolate tart
DAY FIVE
HOME
HOME
After a homemade breakfast, you will be taken to the underground stores to select cheese and charcuterie for purchase to take home with you, before being driven to the airport.
If flights depart later in the day, the town of Biella is nearby to explore and there is no urgent check out time from your accommodation. Perfect time to give your legs a rest if needs be! If you would like to stay on at the villa you are most welcome to for €110 per night, including breakfast. It is a remarkable part of the world, with many things to explore that we can recommend.
REQUIREMENTS AND KIT LIST
The transhumance is an uphill climb of 22km. While not highly-paced and with regular stops for food and water, we do advise you come prepared as we shall genuinely be working with the herders on the day. You know yourself you how fit you are, and a spot of light training beforehand does no harm.
The walk begins in the night ends in the early summer afternoon. This ranges from 8°C to 30°C, so the following layering is advised: Merino baselayer, mid layer fleece of down, light outer shell.
Light travel sack to carry water, layers and snacks.
Good walking boots. The comfiest, most warn-in ones you have, ankle support is advised. Don’t risk a new pair on this trip in case you get blisters if they’re not broken in!
Head torch
You should have your own travel insurance cover
At 22km and averaging 10 hours climb time, you will no doubt feel extremely tired in the best of ways when you get to the top. If on the way up you need a break, we have a 4x4 to rest in at all times and for those who wish to skip the more demanding section of the journey, we have cars on hand to spin you to higher meeting points. It’s all good!
THE HEROES
Since 2017 we have joined Adam and the Ferrero family for the transhumance of their herd of 40 native cattle. What is so exciting about their transhumance is that behind the practical purpose of moving livestock, this is a real journey of the new generation of herders that we can feel honoured to be part of. It’s these heroes that are carrying forward the transhumance tradition from which we all stand to learn so much. By joining with them, we increase the herder to herd ratio and will genuinely be contributing to a smoother drive up the mountain.
Nicoló , Nicoló, Adam, Gio, Mich, Alice
Giada, Mike, Desy
@nicologallana @disorbodisso @ferreroadam @pinkysince1991 @mich_jungton @alicemelchior01 @giadaf83 @longosmike94 @desyferrero
Your Guide
Here we go, 2024!
That’s me looking down at the rustico from two thirds of the way up the mountain! I’m a cheesemonger, affineur, writer, food producer, photographer and educator who has worked for over a decade to discover and support some of the older traditions in food from across Europe. I am so inspired by the established harmony and resourcefulness of people of a place who are able to sustainably convert their landscape into food. It is a madness that we do not appreciate the skills of these people as being amongst the most important human knowledge to pass on to the next generations.
On my journey, there have been two distinct moments I have come across in the natural world that epitomise most powerfully the connection humans can have through the making of food to their given geographical context. The wild Atlantic Salmon fishing of the Munster Blackwater in Ireland, and the present Transhumance of the Biellese.
Coming into my eighth year of transhumance, I am delighted to be able to bring you with me. You are in safe hands on this trip that has been 4 years in the making.
I am here to help you be inspired by these wonderful people who still propagate traditions of the mountain and can interpret French, Italian, English and the Piemontese dialect to pass on as much information to you as possible. Ask me anything anytime, we are here to learn from the techniques of the past in the hopes that they may influence the future of food by keeping the knowledge alive.
I am honoured to share this journey with you and my Italian friends.
Looking forward to seeing you on the mountain!
Max Jones
Max Jones - Up There The Last
