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 Toma Piemontese
Made across six Piedmont provinces and parts of two more, a semi-cooked cow's milk cheese in two types: Latte Intero (whole milk) and Semigrasso (part-skimmed). Qualigeo traces it to Roman times, with firm citations from about the year 1000, and says the semi-fat version arose to recover cream for butter. Wheels are cylinders with flat faces and a slightly convex side, 1.8 to 9 kg by Qualigeo, and 15 to 35 cm across and 6 to 12 cm high by Wikipedia, ripened in cellars that imitate the traditional rock caves. A label may add Latte crudo.
Made in: Novara, Verbano-Cusio-Ossola, Vercelli, Biella, Turin and Cuneo provinces, and some communes of Asti and Alessandria
On the plate
Whole-milk Toma is soft with a sweet, pleasant, slightly acidic and salty flavour and a delicate aroma. Semigrasso is more intense and harmonious, with a fragrant aroma. Small, scattered eyes are typical, sometimes with a faint natural blue veining.
Rind: natural crust
Wine and cheese
What to pour with Toma Piemontese
Freisa Piedmont
Our pickSemigrasso Toma is more intense and harmonious than the whole-milk type. Freisa's firm tannin and wild-berry fruit have the grip for it, and its high acidity keeps the soft, slightly salty paste fresh.
Dolcetto (d'Alba and Dogliani) Piedmont
Our pickA whole-milk Toma is soft, sweet, slightly acidic and salty. Dolcetto's soft tannin and dark berry fruit sit easily beside it, with nothing in either to fight the other.
The grapes behind these winesDolcettoFreisa
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.
Toma Piemontese: questions
Does Toma Piemontese have to be made from raw milk?
No. Qualigeo says only that the label may carry the words Latte crudo when it is.
What is the difference between Latte Intero and Semigrasso?
Latte Intero uses whole milk and has a soft, sweet paste; Semigrasso uses part-skimmed milk and tastes more intense, according to Qualigeo.
When was Toma Piemontese first protected?
Italy recognised it as a denominazione di origine by a decree of the President of the Council of Ministers of 10 May 1993 (Gazzetta Ufficiale no. 196, 21 August 1993); the EU registered it as a DOP in 1996.
Same cheeseboard
More cheeses from Piedmont
Plan the trip
Visit Toma Piemontese 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.