They are grey-coated donkeys with special black and white stripes in the limbs and a scapular cross. Thanks to their slender and nimble shape, they could go up to steep and rough mountains. Neurotic and good-natured as well, these donkeys had a large diffusion mainly as recurrent winners in the traditional ‘palio’. Thanks to the Horse Increase Institute at Pisa a group of these donkeys have been preserved with known ascendants and various blood lines.

Serena and four other Amiatina donkeys come from a private owner who, after her divorce, was no longer able to take care of the animals financially. The animals originally come from Italy where they were used as natural grazers. After the First World War, this particular donkey species were on the verge of extinction and although their numbers are gradually increasing, they are still classified as endangered. When the couple moved back to Belgium in 2011 they took the donkeys with them. The oldest animals of the group could stay with the private individual, but unfortunately for the younger animals they had to find a new home. Serena and her family can now enjoy a new home in De Zonnegloed.