On the first Sunday following January 17, in the mountain village still home to a number of shepherds practicing vertical transhumance on the Monti della Laga, a ritual honoring Sant’Antonio Abate is performed. In the morning, a procession winds through the village streets, with the statue of the saint carried by the brotherhood responsible for the cult, accompanied by a band. However, the most eagerly awaited event takes place in the afternoon in front of the small churchyard: an auction featuring trotters and pig’s feet, the less prized parts of the pig slaughter. This is followed by an auction of live animals. The auctioneer conducts a carnival-like interview with the animals, asking how much they would like to be paid and by whom. He hesitates to close the deal if the offer is too low. The auctioneer, a shepherd deeply rooted in traditional values and a profound expert on the country’s dynamics, represents practices tied to a centuries-old economic and cultural tradition based on solidarity and the human-animal relationship with its inherent values.