On behalf of the Associazione Sentieri degli Spalloni APS ETS, we are pleased to submit our project "Beyond All Limits: the call of freedom" (Oltre Ogni Limite) to be officially included in the IYRP 2026 global calendar. Our initiative, located in the Ossola Valleys (Italy) and Vallemaggia (Switzerland), celebrates the link between historical smuggling ("contrabbando di necessità") and the life of mountain shepherds.
Key activities planned for 2026:
May 16th: Official launch and exhibition at the "Museo dello Spallone" (Masera, Italy).
July - August: Historical traveling exhibition "Cravariola: l'Alpe della Dote" in Campo Vallemaggia (Switzerland), showcasing the "unwritten history" of shepherds through rare archival photos.
July 17th-18th: Cross-border trekking and itinerant artistic performances honoring pastoralists as custodians of the mountains.
October: "Storie Verticali" (Vertical Stories) event, featuring high-profile speakers and experts from the pastoralist world to discuss the future of mountain grazing.
Ongoing: Maintenance and cleaning of ancient transhumance paths (Isorno and Cravariola areas).
We are collaborating with local authorities, the Alpine Rescue, the Italian Alpine Club (CAI), and we are currently a candidate for the patronage of the Piedmont Regional Council.