“Within the Mountain” documents the Ladin people of Italy as they work during the summer months. Ladin people are an ethnic minority who inhabit five valleys in the Dolomites, collectively known as Ladinia: Badia, Gherdëina, Fassa, Fodom and Ampezzo. They are deeply rooted in rural Alpine culture and are distinguished by their trilingualism, their native Ladin, a Rhaeto-Romance language, German and Italian, and by their collective agricultural practices. The most important part of their Alpine culture is the care and protection of their home, the grand, yet fragile mountain environment that surrounds them.

I followed different farmers, herders and their families as they undertook the two vital practices that have created one of the of the most diverse and rich environments in Europe: jí a munt (cattle transhumance), the most important Ladin tradition, and the laborious process of making hay for the winter months. These cultural practices, which stem from ancestral knowledge passed down generations, are intrinsic to the thriving nature of the Dolomites.

For decades now, the Ladin pastoral-alpine lifestyle has been threatened by the pressures of climate change and urbanization. Drawing upon centennial traditions imbued with a spirit of interdependency and adaptability, Ladin people are the force behind some of the most marvelous mountain ranges anywhere and they remain, till this day, an essential presence for the life of the mountain and its biodiversity.