Ëndama 'n Bandìa

Ëndama 'n Bandìa: The transhumance that tells the story of the Brigasca Land

In the small village of Upega, one of the three hamlets of the Municipality of Briga Alta (Province of Cuneo, Piedmont) along with Piaggia and Carnino, autumn brings an event that is much more than a simple village fair. Ëndama 'n Bandìa — a Brigasco dialect expression meaning "let's go to the bandìa" — is a celebration of transhumance, the ancient seasonal movement of livestock that has defined the life of this mountain community overlooking the Ligurian Alps for centuries.

The meaning of the "bandìa"

The festival's name preserves ancient wisdom. The Brigasca sheep, an indigenous breed now protected as a Slow Food Presidium, spends seven to eight months in high-altitude alpine pastures and about four months in the bandìa, the milder coastal areas where the climate allows for open-air grazing even during the winter months. The Upega festival commemorates this very moment of transition: the autumn descent of the flocks toward their winter quarters, a ritual that has always linked the Brigasca mountains to the Ligurian sea, less than fifty kilometers away.

A community resisting at altitude

Briga Alta is a unique municipality: with only a few dozen permanent residents in winter, a territory almost entirely included in protected areas between the Marguareis Park and Natura 2000 sites, and a strong Bregasc identity with its own dialect and culture, a legacy of the territory's division from the French town of La Brigue after World War II. The Pro Loco Upega keeps this memory alive through events like Ëndama 'n Bandìa, which bring descendants of Brigasca families and curious visitors back to the village to discover one of the most fascinating pastoral cultures in the Alps.

Between taste and tradition

The day revolves around the table and the movement of the animals. The lunch featuring polenta and wild boar kicks off the festivities, followed in the afternoon by the procession of Brigasca sheep and cows through the village streets. There are also guided tours of the village, traditional lavender distillation demonstrations, and an autumn snack with pastries and herbal teas. An authentic opportunity to experience the Cuneo mountains away from the beaten path.