Feudo Pollichino
Organic sheep farm and dairy making Pecorino Siciliano DOP, Vastedda and ricotta from Valle del Belice ewes, offering guided visits with a cheese tasting.
About Pecorino Siciliano
The island's protected ewe's milk cheese, made from whole raw milk of sheep raised in Sicily and set with lamb rennet paste. The curd is drained by hand into rush baskets (fascedde) that print their weave on the rind, scalded, dry-salted twice ten days apart and ripened at 14 to 18 C. There are three ages, fresh, semi-aged and aged, and a peppered Pepato. Sizes are midpoints of Qualigeo's ranges for the aged type: 6 to 14 kg, 15 to 30 cm across, 15 to 25 cm high. Qualigeo traces the cheese to antiquity, citing Homer and Pliny the Elder. Italy recognised it as a denominazione di origine in the presidential decree of 30 October 1955, and the EU registered it as a DOP in 1996.
Made in: The whole of Sicily
On the plate
Sweet with strong pasture notes when young, spicier with age. The consortium (via CoRFiLaC) describes a decided, slightly piquant but fruity taste with a floral and spiced aroma, the heat growing over 4 to 8 months of ageing.
Rind: natural crust
Wine and cheese
What to pour with Pecorino Siciliano
Marsala Superiore Riserva Sicily
Our pickA long-aged, medium-sweet Marsala Riserva, with nutty, dried fig and orange notes, balances the salt and heat of an aged ewe's milk pecorino, and its nutty depth echoes the cheese's slow ripening.
Nero d'Avola Sicily
Our pickThe consortium says the piquancy of aged Pecorino Siciliano grows over 4 to 8 months. A Nero d'Avola with dark fruit and medium tannin stands up to the salt and spice; Qualigeo suggests bread and olives to tame the sharpness.
Full-bodied Sicilian reds beyond the classic appellations (blends and international varieties) Sicily
Our pickAged Pecorino Siciliano is salty, with heat that builds over 4 to 8 months. Full-bodied Sicilian reds, from native blends to Syrah, Cabernet and Petit Verdot, bring the concentration and tannin to stand up to it.
Dry Zibibbo (Pantelleria) Sicily
Our pickPecorino Siciliano is sweet with strong pasture notes when young, spicier with age. A dry Pantelleria Zibibbo, saline and citrusy with wild herbs and high acidity, cuts the fat and meets those pasture notes.
The grapes behind these winesNero d'AvolaGrilloCabernet SauvignonPetit VerdotZibibboMondeuse
From the source
Where to buy and taste it
Caseificio Manfrè
Family sheep dairy with over 500 ewes, making Pecorino Siciliano DOP, Vastedda and flavoured fresh pecorini, sold in its own shop in Gibellina.
Dipasquale Formaggi, Casa del Formaggio S. Anna
Family cheese shop that grew from a 1950s shop in central Ragusa, where Carmelo Dipasquale selected and aged cheeses in natural caves. Now on Corso Italia, with oil, wine and cured meats.
Dipasquale Formaggi, Marina di Ragusa
Second Dipasquale shop, opened in 2007 on the coast at Marina di Ragusa, alongside the Corso Italia shop.
Cheese experiences nearby
Guided visit and cheese tasting at Feudo Pollichino
Guided visit of an organic sheep farm and dairy, ending with a tasting of its DOP cheeses, fresh zabbinata and ricotta desserts. Bookings go through the farm's contact page.
We Cheese, Ragusano DOP and the cheeses of the Iblei
Four-day cheese event in the streets of Ragusa Ibla built around Ragusano DOP: tastings, live cheesemaking, themed restaurant menus and guided visits of historic palaces. The second edition was held 23 to 26 July 2026.
FAM, Fiera Agroalimentare Mediterranea
Ragusa's agricultural and livestock fair. The 51st edition, held in September 2026, included a Ragusano DOP consortium workshop, wheel marking and a best-wheel contest. In 2025 it moved to a new site on via Prof. Vincenzo Malfitano.
Torneo del Maiorchino, Carnival wheel-throwing at Novara di Sicilia
Carnival game in Novara di Sicilia: teams of throwers send a whole aged Maiorchino wheel, wound with a cord, rolling down the town's main street. Slow Food says Basicò keeps the custom too.
Pecorino Siciliano: questions
What are the types of Pecorino Siciliano DOP?
Qualigeo lists Fresco (20 to 30 days), Semistagionato (60 to 90 days) and Stagionato (at least 120 days), with a spiced Pepato version.
How big is it?
Qualigeo gives fresh and semi-aged wheels 10 to 20 cm in diameter and height and 3 to 5 kg; the aged type is 15 to 30 cm across, 15 to 25 cm high and 6 to 14 kg. The consortium's own page gives a smaller range, 10 to 18 cm high and 4 to 12 kg, so published sizes vary.
What does the rind look like?
The consortium describes a yellowish-white, very rough rind printed by the rush baskets, over a compact white or straw paste with few eyes.
What does Qualigeo suggest eating it with?
Bread and olives, which tend to tame the sharp taste of the aged type, which is also widely grated over pasta.
Same cheeseboard
More cheeses from Sicily
Plan the trip
Visit Pecorino Siciliano country
Tastings and tours where it is made, and somewhere to stay.
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Sources: protection register, www.qualigeo.eu, www.consorziopecorinosiciliano.it. The drawing is made from the cheese's recorded shape, rind and paste, not a photograph.