A fundamental turning point occurred in 1447. On August 1 of that year, the King of Naples, Alfonso I of Aragon, issued a prammatica regulating transumanza and establishing the Dogana della mena delle pecore di Puglia. The objective was clearly to generate new revenue for the Kingdom by strengthening a centuries-old institution and practice.
The Neapolitan Crown owned vast stretches of state land in Apulia — particularly in the Tavoliere — largely unsuitable for agriculture due to poor soil fertility, marshlands, and above all low population density. At the time the Dogana was established, the Crown also ensured control over all the lands between Abruzzo and Apulia traditionally used for transhumance. These lands, now state property and 60 Neapolitan paces (111 meters) wide, formed the backbone of the transhumant system: the tratturi. At the time transhumance was abolished in the 19th century, five main routes remained, ranging from 120 to 240 km in length:

• Castel di Sangro - Lucera
• Pescasseroli - Candela
• Celano - Foggia
• Centurelle - Montesecco
• L'Aquila - Foggia (the so-called Tratturo Magno)

In addition to these, there were several tratturelli and bracci, which served as links between the main routes or to winter pastures. Altogether, there were about one hundred such routes — an entire road network devoted to transhumant sheep.

The Dogana di Foggia rapidly became a powerful institution, responsible for multiple functions: administering justice, collecting payments, maintaining the tratturi, and managing the great commercial fair of Foggia. Thanks to the extensive documentation produced by the Dogana, we can today reconstruct the history of transhumance in remarkable detail.

The royal prammatica established precise rules. Transhumance became mandatory for all shepherds owning more than 20 sheep of the gentile breed. In return, shepherds were granted numerous benefits: substantial discounts on flour, oil, wine and salt (the latter essential in pastoral practice, as it was administered to sheep to prevent disease and was traditionally costly), as well as exemption or reduction of sales taxes on their products. Moreover, shepherds were free to migrate between Abruzzo and Apulia without paying tolls. Previously, they had been required to pay duties and transit fees when crossing baronial lands. In exchange for paying the fida, the king exempted them from all other fiscal obligations.

Alfonso I also established a foro doganale exclusively for transhumant shepherds, placing them under a separate jurisdiction. Similar institutions existed in Spain, Tuscany, and Lazio, but in the Kingdom of Naples the jurisdiction of the Dogana judges extended even to serious crimes, including homicide.

Although well-intentioned, this special jurisdiction eventually produced distortions. Wealthy individuals with no connection to pastoralism sometimes declared fictitious ownership of 20 gentile sheep and paid the fida in order to avoid ordinary courts. The coexistence of two judicial systems created tensions: ordinary judges, paid through court fees, attempted to reclaim jurisdiction over so-called “false shepherds.” The Dogana’s position, however, was clear: anyone who paid the fida was legally considered a shepherd.

The privileges granted to shepherds were so attractive that within five years the number of transhumant sheep doubled, reaching nearly one million head. The Crown was therefore forced to lease additional lands from the Church, the barons, and the Università, that is, the municipal communities. Over the centuries, the number of transhumant sheep fluctuated around this figure, dropping to about 600,000 during crises and rising to as many as 1,500,000 in prosperous periods.