inn, to warm up themselves with the wine of the wine cellar, to discuss livestock and to tune up a song "a braccio". Roots in Northern Italian military history The image of the military mercenary of the 14th and 15th centuries in Northern Italy (called cavalieri) riding in suits of armor wielding the mazza (mace) persists in that of the buttero. Many pastoralists of Northern Italy found better pay as mercenaries of the period, but when unemployed returned to their pastoral lifestyle. They brought back their accoutrements of battle and adapted them, whimsically, to herding. Current roles in Italian society With only five or six large herds still tended by butteri today in the unspoiled national park of Maremma (the rest of Italy's livestock largely raised by commercial concerns), the tradition of the butteri is still relived outside the park in small demonstrations in the region's rural towns and in the Italian equivalent of rodeos. It is still possible to ride with the butteri as they check their cattle in the Parco Regionale della Maremma (Maremma regional park). Buffalo Bill and the butteri In 1890, Buffalo Bill took his Wild West show to Rome and northern Italy (during his tour of Europe) to display cowboy skills, such as the capture of young cattle and the taming of wild horses. Unimpressed, the Italian cowboys (the butteri) led by Augusto Imperiali challenged Buffalo Bill and his show to a contest of skill. As the story is told, the butteri proved far more experienced than the Buffalo Bill troupe, and the national moment of glory for the butteri was savored for many years. Remembrance The first Sunday in August in Tuscany still provides an annual festival to commemorate the skills of the butteri. Existence outside of Italy Italian emigrants to California brought the tradition of the buttero with them, where they called themselves cavalcanti. They brought with them skills in rounding up large herds of cattle, usage of the lasso, and horsemanship. References Animal husbandry occupations Horse-related professions and professionals Tuscany Pastoralists