The Bergamasca is a breed of domestic

sheep Sheep or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are domesticated, ruminant mammals typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus '' Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to domesticated ...

from the mountainous part of the province of Bergamo, in Lombardy in northern Italy. It originates from the area of the

Val Brembana Val Brembana is a valley in Lombardy, northern Italy. It takes its name from the river crossing it, the Brembo. Geography The Bergamo Alps form the valley's northern limits, notably the Tre Signori and Diavolo di Tenda Peaks, while at south ...

and the

Val Seriana The Serio ( Lombard: ''Sère'') is an Italian river that flows entirely within Lombardy, crossing the provinces of Bergamo and Cremona. It is long and flows into the Adda at Bocca di Serio south of Crema Crema or Cremas may refer to: ...

valleys, and is particularly associated with the plateau of

Clusone Clusone ( Bergamasque: ) is an Italian town and ''comune'' in the province of Bergamo, Lombardy, Italy. Located in the Val Seriana, it received the honorary title of city on 15 May 1957 with a presidential decree which ratified a Napoleon's promis ...

. By the beginning of the 20th century it had spread through much of Lombardy; it is now raised in most parts of mainland Italy, particularly the

province of Teramo The Province of Teramo ( it, provincia di Teramo; Abruzzese: ') is a province in the Abruzzo region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Teramo. The province has an area of , a population of 313,029 (2012), and is subdivided into 47 comunes ( i ...

in Abruzzo, where more than 80% of the registered stock are kept. The Bergamasca is also present in Brazil, Serbia and Venezuela. It is raised principally for meat, and is often used for cross-breeding with other meat breeds to improve meat yield. In Lombardy, it is traditionally raised by

transhumant Transhumance is a type of pastoralism or nomadism, a seasonal movement of livestock between fixed summer and winter pastures. In montane regions (''vertical transhumance''), it implies movement between higher pastures in summer and lower val ...

management: the herds spend the summers on the alpine pasture, and over-winter in the Po valley. It is one of the seventeen autochthonous Italian sheep breeds for which a genealogical herdbook is kept by the Associazione Nazionale della Pastorizia, the Italian national association of sheep-breeders. In 1983 the breed was estimated to number 95,000 head, of which 7900 were registered in the herdbook. In 2013 the registered stock numbered 12,042, of which 9833 were in the province of Teramo.

Characteristics

The Bergamasca is white. Rams weigh and grow to at the withers on average. At maturity on average, ewes weigh and grow to at the withers.

References

Sheep breeds originating in Italy {{sheep-stub