The event invites participants to rediscover the rural roots of the local population, which for many centuries—before the tourism boom—relied on livestock farming as one of the very few possible means of subsistence in a territory as challenging as it is admirable, such as the mountains of Val Rendena.
Today, in Val Rendena alone, there are around 1,500 cattle of the Rendena breed, most of which are taken during the summer to the many alpine pastures spread throughout the area.
The success of the event “Rendena Breed Heifers. Parade and… surroundings”, which this year reaches its sixteenth late-summer edition (for more than 60 years the event focused on the livestock market exhibition held on St. Michael’s Day, September 29), lies in the event’s ability to highlight and celebrate many aspects of the territory’s identity.
The annual election of the “Reginetta di Pinzolo”—the best heifer selected by an expert judge from over 150 candidates that take part in the competition every year—perpetuates the rural identity of the Rendena population. Although local customs and ways of life have changed rapidly over time, the heifer parade proudly shows visitors the very best that our tradition has managed to preserve up to this day.
Every year, many guests attend and appreciate this event, finding in it an opportunity to discover and connect with the true identity of the territory. Despite the crisis affecting the entire livestock sector at both national and European levels, the people of Rendena are determined to defend and safeguard their native breed. Beyond representing the history of the valley, this breed is closely linked to the existence and continued operation of local farms, as well as to the preservation of the natural balance of the territory.
