Spaccio Caseificio Alto But, Tolmezzo
The Tolmezzo shop of the Alto But cooperative, selling its cheeses and smoked ricotta beside cjarsons, frico, biscotti, honey, jams and smoked trout from Sutrio. Closed Sundays.
About Asìno
Despite the name, not a donkey's milk cheese: Wikipedia takes the name from Monte Asio in the Pordenone hills. It is a cow's milk cheese of the upper Val d'Arzino. Turismo FVG credits it to secret salting brines kept in wooden vats and handed down over generations. It comes in two versions, a classic aged one and a soft fresh one, both savoury and piquant. Wikipedia describes a soft paste similar to the salted cheese of Carnia. The cheese is on the Friuli-Venezia Giulia list of traditional agri-food products.
Made in: Alta Val d'Arzino, Friuli
On the plate
Savoury and piquant according to Turismo FVG, in both the classic aged and the soft fresh version. The source suggests it with polenta or in summer salads, and Wikipedia describes a soft paste.
Wine and cheese
What to pour with Asìno
Pinot Bianco Friuli-Venezia Giulia
Our pickTurismo FVG calls Asìno savoury and piquant in both its soft fresh and its aged version. A steel-raised Pinot Bianco with apple, almond and high acidity cleans the salt and adds no oak or tannin to the heat.
Friuli Pinot Grigio Friuli-Venezia Giulia
Our pickAsìno is savoury and piquant in its soft fresh and its aged versions. A dry Friulian Pinot Grigio, with pear or apple, almond and high acidity, cleans the salt and has the body to carry the piquancy.
The grapes behind these winesPinot GrigioPinot Bianco
From the source
Where to buy and taste it
Latteria di Coderno, Udine (Chiavris) shop
The Udine outlet of the Coderno dairy, at Piazza Medaglie d'Oro 12 in the Chiavris district, selling its Montasio, Latteria, ricotta and mozzarella beside Friulian specialities. Closed Sundays.
Latteria di Cividale, Via Europa shop
One of two Cividale shops of the Latteria Sociale, selling Montasio DOP, the dairy's cheeses, fresh ricotta and butter direct from the producer, open mornings Monday to Saturday, with staff advice on pairings.
Latteria di Coderno, Codroipo shop
The Codroipo outlet of the Coderno cooperative, selling Montasio, Latteria and ricotta from its own dairy, open mornings Monday to Saturday and afternoons Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. The Montasio consortium has its seat in the same town.
Cheese experiences nearby
Gemona, formaggio e... dintorni
Gemona's autumn cheese fair, in its 25th edition in 2026, held in the historic centre to showcase the area's cheese production, with food and wine stands, tastings and producers from outside the region.
Festa della Ricotta Friulana, Mortegliano
Three-day festival centred on the dairy: guided dairy visits and milk-production demonstrations, tastings, children's activities, and lunch and dinner stands serving km-0 dishes of Friulian ricotta, the dairy's cheeses and polenta from Blave di Mortean.
Guided visit to Caseificio Alto But
A guided visit to the dairy workshop to see milk turned into cheese, then through the ageing rooms, ending with a tasting of the finished products. The dairy offers it to schools and cheese enthusiasts.
Dairy products and farm visit at Malga Montasio
At this summer mountain dairy on the Montasio plateau you can buy and taste its own cheese and dairy products, eat at the agriturismo and, per Turismo FVG, watch the morning milking and meet the cheesemaker. Closed in autumn and winter.
Frico cooking class at Spolert Winery
A hands-on frico workshop at Spolert, a small Colli Orientali winery specialising in Schioppettino, taught in Italian and ending with the dish paired with wines and local products.
Asìno: questions
Is Asino made from donkey milk?
No. Despite the name it is an old cheese made from cow's milk, says Turismo FVG.
What is distinctive about the way it is salted?
Turismo FVG says it is salted in brines kept in wooden vats, a method passed down over generations.
How do you serve Asino?
Turismo FVG suggests polenta or summer salads.
Same cheeseboard
More cheeses from Friuli-Venezia Giulia
Plan the trip
Visit Asìno country
Tastings and tours where it is made, and somewhere to stay.
Friuli-Venezia Giulia
Prosciutto Ham Factory Visit & Lunch Tasting near Udine
All 273 experiences in Friuli-Venezia GiuliaBooking links go to our partners (GetYourGuide, Viator, Zen Hotels), who may pay us a commission. It never decides what we cover. Editorial standards.
Sources: www.turismofvg.it, it.wikipedia.org. The drawing is made from the cheese's recorded shape, rind and paste, not a photograph.