Breed: Aosta Chestnut
Species: Cattle
Colour: chestnut to almost black
Weight: Male: 550–650 kg Female: 420–550 kg
Height: Male: 130–135 cm Female: 125 cm
Country: Italy
Description: The Valdostana Castana is an Italian breed of cattle from Valle d'Aosta region in north-western Italy. It is one of three regional breeds in the area, the others being the Valdostana Pezzata Nera and the Valdostana Pezzata Rossa. The Valdostana Castana ranges in colour from chestnut-brown to black. It derives from cross-breeding of imported Hérens stock with the local Pezzata Nera (black-pied) cattle. While the Valdostana Castana is raised both for meat and for milk, its principal characteristic is its ability in the Bataille de Reines, the annual cow-fighting contests held in the region. Partly due to its combative nature, it is not suited to intensive farming, and management is normally transhumant: the cattle are stabled only in winter, and spend the summer months on the mountain pastures of the Alps.
History: The Valdostana Castana is a relatively recent breed; only black-pied and red-pied cattle are documented in the Valle d'Aosta in texts of the early twentieth century. Despite the strict regulations governing the herd-book for the Valdostana Pezzata Nera, breeders introduced imported Hérens blood. The Castana was officially recognised by the Ministero delle Politiche Agricole Alimentari e Forestali, the Italian ministry of agriculture, in 1985. It is registered in the herd-book of the Pezzata Nera and is considered to differ from it only in the colour of the coa.
Uses: dual-purpose: milk and beef
particular aptitude for cow-fighting