Ongoing - February 2025
Set in the rugged landscapes of Abruzzo, Among the Flocks explores the lives of foreign workers who today form the backbone of the region’s pastoral economy. While shepherding and pastoral traditions have become cultural emblems—central to Abruzzo’s self-image and heavily promoted through heritage recognitions like UNESCO’s 2019 listing of transumanza and the valorization of local products such as arrosticini—the sector itself is facing an irreversible decline.
This ongoing project sheds light on the deep contradictions within this celebrated identity: a dwindling number of aging producers, a lack of generational renewal, and the abandonment of rural areas stand in stark contrast to the romanticized narrative of authenticity. Today, 9 out of 10 shepherds in Abruzzo are migrants, primarily from the Balkans and increasingly from North Africa, who carry forward a tradition that locals have largely left behind. Their presence is essential, yet often invisible in the broader discourse.
Through images and encounters, Among the Flocks invites reflection on labor, migration, and the fragile future of mountain life in contemporary Italy.
