Brancaleone da Norcia
The company's oldest shop, on Corso Sertorio. Besides salumi and truffles it sells several Umbrian cheeses, from caciotta dolce and goat cheese to table pecorino and pecorino di fossa.
About Caciottone di Norcia
A semi-hard to hard cheese from pasteurised milk, 90 to 95 percent cow and 5 to 10 percent sheep, made in the upper Valnerina. Winter transhumance left little sheep's milk for cheese, and from the 1950s the mixed milk became the settled method. The name marks a bigger cheese than the traditional cow's-milk caciotte. Wheels are 20 to 22 cm across and 9 to 11 cm high, about 3.2 kg, with a thin washed rind. It was registered in the EU as an IGP on 2 August 2024.
Made in: The communes of Norcia, Cascia, Monteleone di Spoleto, Preci and Poggiodomo in the province of Perugia (the Valnerina)
On the plate
Tender paste, firmer near the rind, with a milky, cooked-butter smell. The flavour is fragrant, aromatic and delicate yet lasting, ending in a marked cream aftertaste.
Rind: washed, orange and sticky
Wine and cheese
What to pour with Caciottone di Norcia
Grechetto Umbria
Our pickQualigeo describes a milky, cooked-butter aroma, a tender paste and a delicate flavour. A dry Grechetto with medium to high acidity cuts the cream without covering it. Best with the young dolce type.
Orvieto Muffa Nobile and Umbrian noble-rot whites Umbria
Our pickThe riserva caciottone is fragrant, persistent, with a marked cream aftertaste. A full-bodied noble-rot white with sweetness and high acidity sets sugar against that cream and keeps it from cloying.
Torgiano Rosso Riserva Umbria
Our pickThe riserva caciottone, 121 to 365 days, is fragrant and lasting with a marked cream aftertaste. Torgiano Rosso Riserva, 100% Sangiovese and full-bodied with medium to firm tannin, matches that persistence.
Umbrian rosato Umbria
Our pickA young dolce caciottone is tender, milky and delicate. A light to medium-bodied dry rosato with high acidity cuts the cream and leaves the cheese's delicate flavour in place.
Barrel-fermented Umbrian whites Umbria
Our pickCaciottone has a milky, cooked-butter aroma and a marked cream aftertaste. Full-bodied whites fermented or aged in oak, with creamy texture and high acidity, match the cream while the acidity keeps the pairing fresh.
Montefalco Rosso Riserva DOC Umbria
Our pickThe riserva is the longest-aged type, 121 to 365 days. Qualigeo describes the cheese as fragrant and persistent with a marked cream aftertaste. A full-bodied Montefalco Rosso Riserva with medium to firm tannin has the structure to meet it.
The grapes behind these winesGrechettoSangioveseSagrantinoSauvignon BlancChardonnay
From the source
Where to buy and taste it
BottegAlberoBello
Shop and degusteria in Castelluccio di Norcia with a room overlooking the Piano Grande. Sells local salumi, legumes, cheese and truffle products; serves cheese and salumi boards, panini, lentil soup and ricotta desserts.
Norcineria Felici
Norcineria on Corso Sertorio selling cured pork, truffles, lentils and a short cheese list: three ages of pecorino, caciotta di Norcia and flavoured cheeses. Takes orders by phone and online.
Gruppo Grifo sales point, Opaco
Sales point of the Gruppo Grifo dairy group at Loc. Opaco, open every day. The range includes Testa Nera, Pecorino Norcia, Pellegrino di Norcia and fresh cheeses.
Cheese experiences nearby
Farm visit and tasting at La Redola Verde
Guided visit of a sheep and pig farm at Turrita, with a tasting of its products, by reservation. A Slow Food Trevi visit on 11 and 18 April 2026 (held) added a cheese-making demonstration.
Nero Norcia, the black truffle and typical products fair
Norcia's national fair of the black truffle and typical products, running since the 1950s. Norcia.net lists cheese tastings in the programme and live cheese-making demonstrations among the side events.
Cheese-making course at Le Case di Quarantotti
Course on a farm stay near Norcia that takes guests through each step of making cheese, from curd to ageing, with traditional methods. Guests take home what they make. The farm publishes no dates or price.
Caciottone di Norcia: questions
What milk is Caciottone di Norcia made from?
Pasteurised cow's and sheep's milk. The Qualigeo product sheet sets the cow's milk at 90 to 95 percent and the sheep's milk at 5 to 10 percent.
Where can Caciottone di Norcia be made?
Only in the communes of Norcia, Cascia, Monteleone di Spoleto, Preci and Poggiodomo in the province of Perugia, according to the Qualigeo sheet.
When did Caciottone di Norcia become an IGP?
The EU registration is dated 2 August 2024, as the Qualigeo sheet records and the Caciottone di Norcia association's own site confirms.
Same cheeseboard
More cheeses from Umbria
Plan the trip
Visit Caciottone di Norcia country
Tastings and tours where it is made, and somewhere to stay.
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Sources: protection register, www.qualigeo.eu, www.caciottonedinorcia.it. The drawing is made from the cheese's recorded shape, rind and paste, not a photograph.