As long-time listeners know for sure, we're not fans of the picture-perfect image of Tuscany that is so popular with foreigners. According to us, in order to figure out the real character of this land you have to look away from the manicured countryside and delve deep into the more savage parts of the land we call home. The wild region that lies across the Southern border with Latium has become integral to Tuscan character, providing us with many myths and legends. A few weeks ago we told you the story of Domenico Tiburzi, the Tuscan Robin Hood - now it's time for another Maremma legend, the one about the "butteri", the Tuscan cowboys that back in 1890 won a bet against none other than Buffalo Bill. When his Wild West Show arrived in Rome, he challenged the locals. He would give them the equivalent of a year's pay if they were able to tame and ride the wild horses he brought across the Atlantic for five minutes. Under a driving rain, the "butteri" were able to complete the task, drawing massive cheers from the crowd. While this legend is known and cherished by all Tuscans, some not-so-minor details are left aside. Despite this, "butteri" have come to represent the heart and soul of Maremma, with their "uniform" becoming very popular. As with their American cousins, "butteri" are nowadays barely surviving, now that the massive ranches they worked in have been broken up and the wild marshes have been drained in the 1930s. You can still see how they lived and worked in the past in many shows that are organized around Grosseto in the summer. Listen to the story of the Tuscan cowboys in this week's episode. If you like it, let us know what you think by joining the conversation on social media:
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LINKS TO SOURCES (ITALIAN ONLY)
http://firenze.unuci.org/articolo.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/05/world/europe/05italy.html
https://www.quinewspisa.it/i-butteri-dellalta-maremma-tra-storia-e-leggenda.htm
https://romah24.com/prati/speciali/8-marzo-1890-quando-i-butteri-laziali-cacciarono-buffalo-bill-dal-quartiere/
https://www.maremmatoscana.it/blog-post/butteri-della-maremma/
https://ricerca.gelocal.it/iltirreno/archivio/iltirreno/1999/06/16/LF204.html
http://www.anamcavallomaremmano.com/index.php?id=70&tx_ttnews[tt_news]=393&tx_ttnews[backPid]=117&cHash=4b5353d820
https://maremma-magazine.it/primo-piano/eventi/cera-volta-maremma-mito-dei-butteri-rivive-nella-cornice-del-marruchetone/
http://www.sferamagazine.it/sfera-today-attualita/120%C2%B0-anniversario-sfida-butteri-contro-cowboys-di-buffalo-bill/
https://www.historynet.com/how-the-west-was-spun-buffalo-bill-codys-wild-west-show.htm

BACKGROUND MUSIC
Title: A MIDNIGHT ON JAQUAY (Instrumental)
Artist: Pipe Choir
Source: www.pipechoir.com
License: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
https://soundcloud.com/pipe-choir-2/pipechoir-a-midnight-on-jaquay-instrumental