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 Vastedda della Valle del Belice
One of the rare stretched-curd cheeses made from sheep's milk. Raw whole milk of Valle del Belice ewes is set with lamb rennet and rested 24 to 48 hours in rush baskets; the soured curd is then cut, covered with whey at 80 to 90 C in a wooden vessel and stretched by hand into a flat disc on a ceramic plate, 15 to 17 cm across and 500 to 700 g. It has no rind and is brined for 30 minutes to two hours. Slow Food says the name comes from vasta, spoiled, because it began as a way to rework defective summer pecorini.
Made in: 18 municipalities in the provinces of Agrigento, Trapani and Palermo, in the Belice valley
On the plate
Fresh sheep's cheese, a little tangy but not piquant (Qualigeo). Slow Food finds butter first, with grasses and valerian of the Belice valley behind, and says the best way to eat it is in thick slices with Sicilian olive oil, tomato and oregano.
Rind: none, eaten fresh
Wine and cheese
What to pour with Vastedda della Valle del Belice
Grillo Sicily
Our pickQualigeo's sheet for Vastedda suggests a good Sicilian white, perhaps a Grillo or Chardonnay, besides olive oil and oregano. Grillo's citrus, herbal lift and high acidity freshen the mild, slightly tangy fresh sheep curd.
Catarratto Sicily
Our pickCatarratto, a white of western Sicily, is light to medium in body, fresh and citrus-scented, so it keeps pace with fresh sheep curd without covering its mild butter flavour.
Nerello Mascalese rosato Sicily
Our pickFresh Vastedda is a little tangy but not piquant, with butter first. A light Nerello Mascalese rosato with high acidity, wild red fruit and a saline edge keeps pace with the tang and leaves the butter alone.
The grapes behind these winesGrilloCatarrattoNerello Mascalese
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.
Vastedda della Valle del Belice: questions
Is Vastedda aged?
No. Qualigeo says it is eaten fresh and does not lend itself to ageing; its production method has it ready 12 to 48 hours after brining.
How big is it?
Qualigeo gives a flat round about 15 to 17 cm across and 500 to 700 g, with a smooth ivory-white surface and no rind.
What wine does Qualigeo suggest?
A good Sicilian white, perhaps Grillo or Chardonnay; it also suggests a few drops of olive oil and some oregano, or use in pasta timballi, sandwiches and pizza.
Where is it made?
Qualigeo says 18 municipalities in the provinces of Agrigento, Trapani and Palermo, in the Belice valley.
Same cheeseboard
More cheeses from Sicily
Plan the trip
Visit Vastedda della Valle del Belice country
Tastings and tours where it is made, and somewhere to stay.
Booking links go to our partners (GetYourGuide, Viator, Zen Hotels), who may pay us a commission. It never decides what we cover. Editorial standards.
Sources: protection register, www.qualigeo.eu, www.fondazioneslowfood.com. The drawing is made from the cheese's recorded shape, rind and paste, not a photograph.