Note sulla consistenza numerica e sui redditi dei mandriani delle valli bergamasche tra Ottocento e Novecento

Some sources from the first half of the 19th century offer a general idea of the seasonal migrations (transhumance) carried out every year by livestock breeders from certain valleys of central-eastern Lombardy toward the irrigated plains. Among these sources, a manuscript written by Luigi Cattaneo in the 1840s identifies the main areas of origin — such as Valsassina, Val Taleggio, Val Brembana, Val Seriana, and the Brescia mountain valleys — and sheds light on the social conditions of the families involved. These were families of bergamini, transhumant dairy farmers, who had their homes and properties (especially meadows and pastures) in the mountains. Their true wealth lay in their livestock: herds of cows numbering from 20 to 80 animals. Although not a homogeneous group, they included both medium-sized entrepreneurs and wealthy breeders whose herds rivaled those of major tenants in the irrigated lowlands. Their income derived from processing milk into butter and various cheeses — including grana, Gorgonzola, and several types of stracchino — and from raising and selling calves. They also raised pigs, using the byproducts of cheese production. Once back in the mountains in May, they produced high-quality summer cheeses, sold through intermediaries and at fairs like the one in Branzi. These breeders had significant social and economic standing, demonstrated by the formal agreements they made with lowland farmers. Before moving to the plains, they signed contracts to rent hay and received housing and stables for free, while providing manure in return. They often also secured multi-year rights to alpine pastures through public auctions, underscoring their financial resources and business acumen. Over time, many of these bergamini became prominent figures in Lombardy’s dairy trade in the 20th century.

Il brano fornisce un quadro delle transumanze praticate nella prima metà dell’Ottocento tra le valli alpine della Lombardia centro-orientale e la pianura irrigua. Attraverso un manoscritto di Luigi Cattaneo, si descrive il ruolo sociale ed economico dei bergamini, allevatori transumanti provenienti da valli come la Valsassina, la val Taleggio, la val Brembana e la val Seriana. Questi medi e ricchi imprenditori agricoli, pur vivendo in montagna e possedendo case, prati e pascoli, tra fine primavera e autunno si trasferivano in pianura con le loro mandrie di 20-80 vacche. Qui producevano burro e formaggi (come grana, stracchini e gorgonzola), vendevano vitelli, allevavano manze e utilizzavano i sottoprodotti caseari per nutrire i maiali. Al ritorno in montagna, producevano formaggi grassi pregiati durante l’alpeggio, commercializzati anche nelle fiere locali. Il loro benessere economico è confermato da pratiche come l’affitto formale del fieno nelle cascine della pianura (con obbligo di restituire letame) e dalla capacità di acquisire l’usufrutto pluriennale dei pascoli alpini, spesso tramite aste pubbliche. Inoltre, la loro abilità commerciale contribuì alla nascita di un ceto imprenditoriale nel settore caseario lombardo del Novecento.