What kind of dog is the Maremmano?

The Maremmano-Abruzzese Sheepdog, also known as the Maremmano, Maremma Sheepdog, or Abruzzese Sheepdog, among other names, is an Italian breed of livestock guardian dog.

The Maremmano, is a large, strongly built dog, rustic in appearance and at the same time majestic and distinguished. The general conformation is that of a heavy mesomorph, whose trunk is longer than the height at the withers; harmonious in size (heterometry) and relatively in profiles (alloidism).

It has been used for centuries by Italian shepherds to guard sheep from wolves. The "Maremmano" name derives from that of the Maremma marshlands where, until recently, shepherds, dogs and hundreds of thousands of sheep over-wintered, and where the dogs are still abundant although sheep-farming has decreased substantially. However, the breed is still widely employed in and closely culturally associated with the nearby region of Abruzzo, where sheep herding remains vital to the rural economy and where the wolf (specifically the Apennine wolf) remains an active and protected predator. The "Abruzzese" portion of the dog's name derives from its ubiquity in Abruzzo and the surrounding area.