This is a list of some of the breeds of ass or donkey considered in Italy to be wholly or partly of Italian origin. Some may have complex or obscure histories, so inclusion here does not necessarily imply that a breed is predominantly or exclusively Italian. [1] [2] [3]
The Romagnola is a breed of cattle from the Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy. It belongs to the Podolic group of grey cattle. Romagnola cattle were used principally as draught beasts in the past; since the mechanisation of agriculture in the middle of the twentieth century they have been bred primarily for beef production.
The Viterbese or Italian: Asino Viterbese is a breed of donkey from Lazio in central Italy. It is particularly associated with the town and province of Viterbo from which it takes its name, and with the Monti della Tolfa and the town of Allumiere in the province of Rome. In 2007 it was reported by the FAO as extinct. In 2012 it was added to the list of autochthonous donkey breeds of limited distribution recognised by the Ministero delle Politiche Agricole Alimentari e Forestali, the Italian ministry of agriculture and forestry. A total population of 153 head was reported in the same year.
The Asinara, Italian: Asino dell'Asinara, is a breed of feral donkey indigenous to the island of Asinara, which lies off the north-west coast of Sardinia, Italy, in the province of Sassari. Most of the population is wholly or partly albinistic; the small number of grey donkeys on the island are also considered part of the population, and may be heterozygous carriers of the albino gene. The Asinara is one of the eight autochthonous donkey breeds of limited distribution recognised by the Ministero delle Politiche Agricole Alimentari e Forestali, the Italian ministry of agriculture and forestry. It is called ainu, borricu or molenti in Sardinian.
The Catalan is a breed of large domestic donkey from the historic region of Catalonia, now in north-eastern Spain and south-western France. Approximately 80% of the breed population is in the modern autonomous community of Catalonia, and approximately 20% is in the historic Roussillon region of France.
The Castel Morrone donkey or Castel Morrone ass is an extinct or nearly extinct breed of donkey from the area of Castel Morrone in the province of Caserta in the Italian region of Campania. Muscular and broad-backed, the animal was widely used as a means of transport in the stony hills of the district around Castel Morrone, as well as a beast of burden. It is or was characterised by large ears, a large-ish head, long hooves, and a blackish-grey coat with tawny markings around the eyes.
The Podolica is an Italian breed of domestic cattle. It belongs to the Podolic group of grey cattle. It is raised in the southern Italian regions of Abruzzo, Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Molise and Puglia. It was formerly distributed throughout most of mainland Italy and as far as Istria, now part of Croatia, and where it is now regarded as a separate breed, the Istrian or Boškarin. The Podolica was in the past bred principally as a draught animal; with the mechanisation of agriculture following the Second World War, demand for draught oxen disappeared, and the Podolica is now raised for meat and – to a lesser extent – for milk.
The Amiatina or Italian: Asino dell'Amiata is a breed of donkey from Tuscany in central Italy. It is particularly associated with Monte Amiata in the provinces of Siena and Grosseto, but is distributed throughout Tuscany. There are also populations in Liguria and in Campania. It is one of the eight autochthonous donkey breeds of limited distribution recognised by the Ministero delle Politiche Agricole Alimentari e Forestali, the Italian ministry of agriculture and forestry.
The Ragusano is a breed of donkey from the Mediterranean island of Sicily. It is associated particularly with the comuni of Modica, Ragusa, Santa Croce Camerina and Scicli, all in the Province of Ragusa in southern Sicily. It is one of the eight autochthonous donkey breeds of limited distribution recognised by the Ministero delle Politiche Agricole Alimentari e Forestali, the Italian ministry of agriculture and forestry. The Ragusano was listed as "endangered" by the FAO in 2007.
The Pantesco or Asino di Pantelleria is an Italian breed of donkey from the Mediterranean island of Pantelleria, south-west of Sicily. It is at high risk of extinction and was listed as "critical" by the FAO in 2007. It is one of the eight autochthonous donkey breeds of limited distribution recognised by the Ministero delle Politiche Agricole Alimentari e Forestali, the Italian ministry of agriculture and forestry.
The Martina Franca donkey, Italian: Asino di Martina Franca, is a breed of donkey from Puglia in southern Italy. It is the largest Italian donkey breed, and was famous for its qualities in the production of mules. It is particularly associated with the comune of Martina Franca from which it takes its name, but the area of origin also includes Alberobello, Ceglie Messapica, Locorotondo, Massafra, Mottola and Noci, in the provinces of Bari, Brindisi and Taranto. It is still raised mainly in Puglia, but there are also populations in Abruzzo, Lazio, Lombardy and Umbria. It is one of the eight autochthonous donkey breeds of limited distribution recognised by the Ministero delle Politiche Agricole Alimentari e Forestali, the Italian ministry of agriculture and forestry.
The Romagnolo or Asino Romagnolo is an Italian breed of donkey. It originates in, and is named for, the region of Emilia-Romagna in northern Italy. It is raised mainly in the province of Forlì-Cesena, but also in the Metropolitan City of Bologna and in the provinces of Ravenna and Reggio Emilia. It is one of the eight autochthonous donkey breeds of limited distribution recognised by the Ministero dell'Agricoltura, della Sovranità Alimentare e delle Foreste, the Italian ministry of agriculture and forestry. The conservation status of the Romagnolo was listed as "critical" by the FAO in 2007. The Asino di Sant'Alberto is considered to form part of the breed.
The Sardinian is an Italian breed of donkey from the Mediterranean island of Sardinia, to the west of Italy. It is raised throughout the island; there are also some small populations in mainland Italy. It is one of the eight autochthonous donkey breeds of limited distribution recognised by the Ministero delle Politiche Agricole Alimentari e Forestali, the Italian ministry of agriculture and forestry. Its conservation status was listed as 'endangered' by the FAO in 2007 and as 'at risk/endangered' in DAD-IS in 2024. The breeding population reported for 2022 numbered just over 3600 head, with 2094 jennies and 963 jacks in 788 herds.
The Grigio Siciliano or Asino Ferrante, is a breed of donkey from the Mediterranean island of Sicily in southern Italy. It is bred only on the island, in the provinces of Agrigento, Enna, Palermo, Ragusa and Syracuse. The conservation status of the Grigio Siciliano was listed as "critical" by the FAO in 2007. In 2012 it was not among the autochthonous donkey breeds of limited distribution recognised by the Ministero delle Politiche Agricole Alimentari e Forestali, the Italian ministry of agriculture and forestry. A recent census conducted by researchers at the University of Messina counted approximately 100 individuals between 4 months and 14 years old.
The Pomarancina is a breed of domestic sheep from Tuscany in central Italy. It is raised mainly in the comune of Pomarance, from which it takes its name, and in the neighbouring comuni of Castelnuovo di Val di Cecina, Montecatini Val di Cecina and Volterra, all in the province of Pisa; some are kept in other parts of Tuscany, in the provinces of Grosseto, Livorno, Lucca and Siena. It is one of the forty-two autochthonous local sheep breeds of limited distribution for which a herdbook is kept by the Associazione Nazionale della Pastorizia, the Italian national association of sheep-breeders.
The Merinizzata Italiana is a modern Italian breed of dual-purpose sheep from southern Italy. It was created in the twentieth century by cross-breeding local Italian stock with imported Merino breeds from France and Germany. It is reared in central and southern Italy, principally in Abruzzo.
The Delle Langhe, also called Pecora delle Langhe or Langarola, is a breed of domestic sheep indigenous to Piedmont, in north-western Italy. It is a rough-woolled breed of southern Mediterranean type, and originates from the mountainous area of the Alta Langa, where the Apennines meet the Alps, in the province of Cuneo. It is raised mainly in the Langhe, but is found in several other regions of Italy including Abruzzo, Basilicata, Emilia–Romagna, Liguria and Tuscany.
The Rossa Mediterranea is a breed of domestic goat from the Mediterranean island of Sicily, in southern Italy. It derives from the Damascus goat of Syria and the eastern Mediterranean, and is thus also known as the Derivata di Siria. It is raised mainly in Sicily, but also in Basilicata and Calabria in southern mainland Italy.
The Cilentana Nera is an Italian breed of domestic goat indigenous to the province of Salerno, in Campania in southern Italy. It takes its name from the geographical region of the Cilento, much of which is today within the Parco Nazionale del Cilento, Vallo di Diano e Alburni, and is raised mainly in that area and in the Monti Alburni. The range extends to the Monti Picentini and to the area of Ricigliano in eastern Campania and Muro Lucano in Basilicata. It is one of three goat breeds in the Cilento, the others being the Cilentana Grigia and the Cilentana Fulva. The Cilentana Nera is found on higher ground and poorer pasture than the other two, and is raised mainly for meat. It has been influenced by the Garganica and Napoletana goat breeds.