For the second year in a row, sheep are being used to trim the lawns of this city's parks and save the taxpayer some money.
The first herd of sheep arrived Thursday at the Meisino park, a vast area of land along the Po River on the city's eastern outskirts, while a second herd will be brought to the Sangone park on Monday.
The two herds will graze in the parks for two months and officials believe this will save the city some 30,000 euros in gardeners' fees.
Last year herds were used in three city parks, including cattle in the Maddalena park.
This year it was decided not to use cattle because they produced significantly more manure that sheep.
A total of 700 sheep and 16 newborn lambs were brought to the Meisino park and belong to Chieri shepherd Federico Tombolato.
''I came here last year as well and it worked out really well. The city saved money and kept the park clean, while I saved money by not having to rent fields to graze my sheep,'' Tombolato said.
The sheep are kept in a fenced-in areas for a few days. They are then moved to other pens while the area is kept closed to the public for a couple of days to allow time for the land to settle and the grass to seed.
''There are some minor inconveniences for the public but the initiative has a naturalistic value and is even educational, allowing people, especially young people, to come into contact with and learn more about animals,'' a city park official observed.
After their two-month tour of duty in the parks, the sheep are brought into the mountains for the hot summer months.
