For many Italians, there is nothing more quintessential American than cowboys. These iconic figures are an American symbol that embodies freedom. Like their American counterparts, Italy has its very own charming, rugged, horseback-riding cowboys called “butteri”. South of Florence, in the wild Maremma region between Tuscany and Lazio, “I butteri” still work the land as they have for centuries. These Italian cowboys are horse-riding shepherds or “mandriani” that care for Maremmana cows.
The word “buttero” comes from the Latin butoros, someone who “spurs the cows”. Ancient butteri of Roman times kept the tradition of labor and knowledge of the land alive well after the end of the Empire. During the depths of the Middle Ages, the butteri turned their knowledge of the territory into an essential instrument to carry out questionable yet lucrative activities, like poaching. Modern butteri are extremely connected with the land they inhabit and the animals they care for. The butteri are considered a significant symbol of Maremma.
Butteri are men very connected with nature and most famously, the Maremmana cow and iconic Maremmano horses. They also wear distinct clothing such as a large black brimmed hat, corduroy jacket, fustian pants, chaps, and “pastrano” which is a large type of cloak that typically has a cutout of a wild figure, that expresses strength. Historically, a signature feature of butteri are thick mustaches.
The 19th century is the period when butteri entered people’s imagination and evolved to be one of Italy’s heritage icons and when their presence across the Maremma region began to disappear. During the latter half of the 19th century, large estates where butteri would work were changing into smaller, intensively cultivated areas, as a result of the evolution of agriculture and farming. Although their presence has dwindled, they remain symbols of a lifestyle rooted into the heart of the land.
You might be wondering where you can still find these tough and strong Italian cowboys. In the province of Grosseto in Tuscany, you can see them riding their horses and tending to cattle where they are protecting the ancient butteri tradition which has become part of the fabric of the local identity. In 2019, a course created by Regione Toscana and the Fondo Sociale Europeo to become a buttero was created in an effort to pass on tradition. The class aims to teach men how to breed Maremmana cows in the wild.Arianna DiCicco
Arianna DiCicco is an educator and writer from California, born into an Italian American restaurant family with strong ties to her grandparents’ home in Abruzzo, Italy. She has lived in San Francisco, Rome and New York City where she’s made deep connections within the Italian communities and gained new perspectives about her own culture. With a Masters in International Education, Arianna has a love and passion for learning and educating others about Italian history & culture.