"Slow Food" in the Villnöss Valley: A breed of sheep shapes Northern Italy's tourism

On a day marked by the typically unpredictable weather of April, Günther Pernthaler stands outside his farm at 1,300 meters (4,265 feet) above sea level in the Villnöss Valley, feeding hay to his sheep. Wisps of fog drift through the lush green valley, and the rain of recent days has turned the ground to mush, causing the animals’ hooves to sink into the mud. Pernthaler—a rugged man with a gray, bushy beard, felt hat, and traditional blue farmer’s apron—aims to live as self-sufficiently as possible.