Since a few weeks many of us are living in isolation due to the COVID-19 outbreak. For a few, nothing changes. They’ve chosen a life in isolation years ago already. Like Giulio, a goatherd living remotely in the hills of northern Sicily.

365 days a year he enjoys living a simple rural life with his herd. Summer and winter, day and night.

He knows every goat by name, his favourite kid is called Gorgin.

He has two dogs who somehow manage to find all the goats every the morning as they are allowed to move freely during the night. He needs to milk the goats at least every second day.

The cheese making is his handcraft. He daily milks the goats and makes Ricotta and Tuma multiple times per week. It’s is a simple process, but timing, temperatures and ratios need to be perfect. Water supplies are very short, every drop will be reused and none of the resources are wasted.

Fat attracts bees, why he needs to keep everything super clean during the process. Cigarettes help to make the flies and bees stay away, even when he doesn’t light them up. In case of a bee sting, he treats it with a fresh slice of lemon.

He never gets sick. His shoes are falling apart, hopefully he gets new ones for winter. His friend Francesco helps him selling cheese to the nearby villages and brings goods such as wine, salami or soap from time to time.

July 2019, North Sicily, Italy.