Giolito Formaggi
Four-generation family cheese shop in the historic centre of Bra, working as an affineur with its own ageing cells and cellar. It favours raw-milk cheeses and small producers.
About Ossolano
A semi-cooked, hard cow's milk cheese of the Ossola valleys, from Bruna, Frisona and Pezzata Rossa cattle and their crosses. Qualigeo credits the Swiss Walser settlers with developing the semi-cooking step. Its oldest document, from 1006, has Pietro, bishop of Novara, letting the buildings of the Pieve di San Vincenzo to Grimaldo for 100 pounds of Ossolano cheese. Wheels weigh 6 to 7 kg, or 5 to 6 kg for the d'Alpe version, made June to September from pastures at or above 1,400 m. Protected as a DOP in 2017.
Made in: Thirty-eight communes of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola province
On the plate
A consistent, elastic straw-coloured paste with small irregular eyes. The flavour is aromatic and follows the seasonal pasture flora, more intense and fragrant with age.
Rind: natural crust
Wine and cheese
What to pour with Ossolano
Barolo Piedmont
Local traditionQualigeo lists Barolo first among the structured reds it calls the classic match for Ossolano. The elastic, savoury paste with its herbal pasture notes gives Nebbiolo's tannin something to grip, and an older, more intense wheel holds its own.
Barbera d'Asti Piedmont
Local traditionBarbera d'Asti is one of the four reds Qualigeo names for Ossolano. Its high acidity and moderate tannin cut through the elastic, savoury paste without covering the herbal pasture flavour, a softer match than Barolo.
The grapes behind these winesNebbioloBarbera
From the source
Where to buy and taste it
Latteria Bera
Turin dairy shop three minutes from Piazza Castello, taken over in 1958 by Romola and her sisters Marta and Bruna and run by her granddaughter Chiara since 2016. It sells Piedmontese specialities and DOP cheeses, and hosts booked tastings in the shop.
Borgiattino Formaggi
Cheese and wine shop under the arcades of Corso Vinzaglio since 1927, known for Piedmontese cheeses such as Castelmagno, Raschera and robiola, alongside Italian and foreign ones.
Cheese experiences nearby
Cheese, Slow Food's cheese festival in Bra
Slow Food's biennial fair of raw-milk cheeses fills the centre of Bra with artisan producers, tastings, workshops and talks. The 2025 edition was the fifteenth.
Cheese Tasting at Giolito
Guided walk through the shop's cold counter, workshop, ageing rooms and the ageing cellar, which holds a small cheese museum, then a tasting in a dedicated room. For larger summer groups a tent can be set up in the courtyard. Contact the shop to reserve.
Castelmagno at the table at La Meiro
The farm's locanda serves Castelmagno in its different types and ageings, and gnocchi al Castelmagno are always on the daily menu, in the valley where the cheese is made. Opening is seasonal.
Cellars and tasting at Guffanti
Cellar visits and a guided tasting route at the Arona ageing house, by reservation. Private tastings in dedicated rooms pair its cheeses with bread and wine; English-language visits are available on booking.
Visit to the Valcasotto ageing cellars
Booked visit to the rock cellars of an alpine hamlet where cheeses rest on twelve kinds of wood, with a company shop on site. Cheeses include Castelmagno di Alpeggio and the Cusiè range.
Tasting in the shop at Latteria Bera
Shop tasting of boards of cheeses and cured meats with handmade bread, grissini rubatà and a glass of wine, with panna and zabaione as an option. Book at least a day ahead.
Ossolano: questions
What is Ossolano d'Alpe?
Ossolano made between 1 June and 30 September from milk of pastures at or above 1,400 m, per Qualigeo; wheels weigh 5 to 6 kg.
Which wines go with Ossolano?
Qualigeo calls structured reds the classic match and names Barolo, Chianti, Barbaresco and Barbera d'Asti.
Same cheeseboard
More cheeses from Piedmont
Plan the trip
Visit Ossolano country
Tastings and tours where it is made, and somewhere to stay.
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Sources: protection register, www.qualigeo.eu, it.wikipedia.org. The drawing is made from the cheese's recorded shape, rind and paste, not a photograph.