About Us

The Samsa family

The Karst, with its harsh beauty and rocky terrain, has always been a plateau devoted to the rearing of animals as far back as the period of the Castellieri or hill-forts, the first settlements built between the Middle Bronze Age and the Iron Age.
The origins of our family are closely linked to the karst landscape, with an affectionate understanding for it and its traditions. Since time immemorial our ancestors have always been shepherds and cattle breeders in the harsh environment of the dry grasslands of the “landa carsica” also known by its Slovene name. “gmajna”.
The first information on the Samsa family dates back to the period around 1600 in the area of ​​Ćićarija, a karstic area bordering the current states of Croatia and Slovenia, with subsequent movements, along with their flocks, into Slovenia and to the villages of Volče and Košana, karst areas close to the well-known caves at Postojna, where some of our relatives can still be found.

Under the Habsburg Empire, beginning in 1907, our great-grandfather Franz began to practice transhumance, moving from these small towns to the karst plain near Gorizia and the river Isonzo, to take advantage of winters that were certainly less cold, with a milder climate and better grazing.

Later still, with the creation of the Yugoslav-Italian border after the Second World War, our grandfather Rudolph decided to remain in Italy, on the karst close to Gorizia and since then we have continued to carry out these activities as shepherds with a passion. There is no longer any migratory transhumance, but we’ve brought up-to-date the tried-and-tested knowledge and experience, learnt and accumulated throughout this long journey in time.