The Villnösser Brillenschaf – literally spectacle-wearing sheep from the Villnöss Valley – is the oldest sheep breed in Alto Adige, having developed in the 18th century from a local strain of the Austrian Kärntner Brillenschaf, which in turn derives from a cross between the Alte Heimische Landschläge, the Bergamasca and the Paduaner Seidenschaf.
The sheep can be recognized by their white fleece and black rings around their eyes (the “spectacles”), and the black coloring on at least a third or a half of their ears. In the past the breed was raised for meat and wool. It was lucky to escape the Fascist breed-improvement policies in the 1930s, which targeted livestock used for food and sought to replace native breeds with more productive international alternatives.
The Villnösser Brillenschaf – literally spectacle-wearing sheep from the Villnöss Valley – is the oldest sheep breed in Alto Adige, having developed in the 18th century from a local strain of the Austrian Kärntner Brillenschaf, which in turn derives from a cross between the Alte Heimische Landschläge, the Bergamasca and the Paduaner Seidenschaf.
The sheep can be recognized by their white fleece and black rings around their eyes (the “spectacles”), and the black coloring on at least a third or a half of their ears. In the past the breed was raised for meat and wool. It was lucky to escape the Fascist breed-improvement policies in the 1930s, which targeted livestock used for food and sought to replace native breeds with more productive international alternatives.
