Cooperative dairy at Calascio making Canestrato di Castel del Monte and aged sheep ricotta; visitors can stop at the dairy to buy cheese.
Cheeses: Canestrato di Castel del Monte, Ricotta di pecora stagionata
A canestrato aged beyond a year is creamy yet piquant, with chestnut and spice. A full-bodied riserva has the weight to match it, and its tannin is softened by the fat of the paste.
Aged sheep's ricotta keeps a soft, fragrant paste tasting of milk and mountain forage. A dry, high-acid Pecorino cuts the milky richness and leaves room for the herbal notes, which a heavier red would flatten.
For a fresh or semi-aged wheel, with its hay notes and sweet finish, the high acidity of a dry Cerasuolo refreshes the palate, and with no tannin it does not overpower a cheese that is still gentle.
Address: Strada Provinciale 1, 67020 Calascio (AQ), Abruzzo
Family dairy founded 1956 at Sant'Eufemia a Maiella, specialising in pasta-filata cow's-milk cheeses: caciocavallo, scamorza and provoloncino, plus giuncata, ricotta and yogurt.
Cheeses: Caciocavallo abruzzese, Scamorza abruzzese, Giuncata abruzzese
Visiting: dairy shop
Dairy at Moscufo since 1975, buying milk from nearby farms. Makes caciocavallo, sheep, goat and mixed-milk cheeses and fresh dairy, and farms 18 ha of olives, cereals, fruit and vegetables.
Cheeses: Caciocavallo abruzzese
Visiting: dairy shop at Moscufo, second shop in Pescara, Via del Circuito 118
Goat farm at about 1,200 m in the Majella national park, making raw-milk cheeses without starter cultures from April to October, when the goats graze mountain pasture.
Cheeses: Formaggella with juniper and wild mint, Muffato a pasta cotta, Muffato a pasta cruda
Visiting: cheese pickup at the farm, arranged by phone or the contact form on its site
Sheep farm and dairy in the Tavo valley below the Gran Sasso, founded 2024 to continue the Martinelli farm. Makes raw-milk Pecorino di Farindola with pig rennet and sells it at the farm shop.
Cheeses: Pecorino di Farindola, Ricotta di pecora
Visiting: farm shop at the dairy
Explore Raiano on a guided walking tour. See historic murals, visit the San Venanzio Nature Reserve, and enjoy an olive oil and gelato tasting at Bar Aterno.
Discover the secrets of Abruzzo cuisine with a cooking class at Torre Monache in Villamagna. Learn to make authentic dishes, enjoy a shared meal, and try some wine fro...
Discover Villamagna, Italy's smallest wine appellation, on a guided tour that reveals why its reds are also made for summer drinking. Taste wines and enjoy a tradition...
