Transhumance is a specialized and complex form of animal breeding which uses the climatic and geographical complementary situation between mountains and close-lying coastal land in order to gain optimal grazing all year round. It is a global phenomenon that has been practiced since man started taming ruminant animals such as sheep, goat, reindeer, horse, cattle. The movements of men and herds resulted in a net of codified trails, many of which are still used today, often converted into important highways linking distant regions.

Transhumance routes constitute a true common European cultural heritage which unites the northern and southern countries from their earliest forms of civilized life. They have created a cultural landscape of pastures, meadows, fords, and springs as well as a mental landscape of stories, myths, ideologies, and mentalities, deeply rooted in our collective memory and expressed in art, literature, music and consumption during millennia.

In some parts of Europe the transhumance has already disappeared as an economic sector, in others parts it is still alive. The recovery and reinvention of historical trails and rural roads is a matter of great concern for landscape protection and evaluation.