Transhumance Festival of Picerno

When the Herds Return to the Mountains

There is an ancient gesture that in Picerno, a municipality in the Marmo Platano area in the province of Potenza, comes back to life every spring: transhumance, the ascent of herds towards the high-altitude pastures. The Transhumance Festival celebrates this millennia-old rite — recognized as intangible cultural heritage of humanity by UNESCO — accompanying the animals from the town's market area to the green pastures of Monte Li Foj.

The Rocco Marchetto Memorial

The event, organized by Coldiretti Basilicata and ARA Basilicata, is dedicated to the memory of Rocco Marchetto with a memorial that honors his figure, deeply connected to the agricultural and livestock world, in a message of continuity between generations of breeders.

Rural Culture, Workshops, and Tastings

A rich day is built around the passage of the herds: a farriery workshop (the art of shoeing animals), a show cooking with chef Emilio Pompeo, thematic meetings on livestock farming, tastings of typical products, and musical interludes. An opportunity for breeders, families, and young people to rediscover the value of Lucanian rural culture and livestock traditions.