Kranky Kids® home page
My Daily Cow®
Pontremolese -cow- Italy

Pontremolese
(most common name)
(transboundary/brand name)

(local/other name):
• Bettolese (from Bettola, Piacenze)
• Razza Pontremolese
• Rossa Pontremolese

The Pontremolese, found in the Ligurian Apennines of Italy, possibly derives from Reggiana cattle brought from the Parma area in the northern region of Emilia-Romagna.

The Pontremolese was, at one point, considered one of the finest working breeds in Italy with oxen used to transport Carrara marble to the coast.

The Pontremolese was recognized as a breed in 1935.

After 1950, crossbreeding with Italian Brown (to improve milk yield) began. The Pontremolese population was almost halved by 1960 and as of 2019, its status is ‘critical’ with a population of 100.

This page was last updated on: 2023-05-19


You can also go to:

My Daily Cow® Italy and read about other Italian cattle breeds.

The Cow Wall® A-Z Cattle Breed Picture Reference to see other breeds of cattle in the world.