WILD CHEESE
Valle di Comino is a valley located in the center of the Italian peninsula, Frosinone province , Lazio region, on the edge of “Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise National Park”. The valley includes approximately 20 villages. Picinisco is one of those.
Here I meet Loreto Pacitti. Spirited and amazing entrepreneur, he is a sheep breeder, a cheese maker, a restaurateur and more. Not an easy task to keep it up with him… His family, he tells me, has been breeding sheep and making cheese for three generations. He and his cousins, even after graduating in law and economics decided to go back to their roots and are now running the family business. Loreto and his family want to keep things natural and traditional, as it was done by their parents and grandparents. “This is an agropastoral farm - he explains - we breed sheep and we grow forage crops to feed the herd during the cold seasons. During the warm seasons we use natural pasture. Since this is an organic farm - he continues - we do not use chemicals at all for the breeding nor for the cultivation. Also we do not use chemicals in the production of cheese and this is preserved and aged naturally in cellars or in caves, depending on the grade of ripening we want to reach. That’s why we say that our cheese is wild”.
The herd is composed of approximately 800 sheep. The farm manages 60-70 hectares of fields for both natural pasture and forage crops.
Sheep are milked twice-a-day, except those feeding the lambs. The milk is processed at Loreto’s dairy within 24 hours after the milking: “We produce 20 different types of cheese, all of them belonging to the tradition of Lazio region and, of course, of our family. Our Pecorino di Picinisco is a P.D.O. (Protected Designation of Origin)”.
The busy life of this family includes also showing up at farmer’s market in Sora, Frosinone province, and in Rome, three times a week.
On Sundays Loreto and his family are working at their restaurant. An excellent and tasty lunch is served. Groceries are all km. 0, coming from the Valle di Comino area, including of course all Loreto’s cheese.
Read MoreHere I meet Loreto Pacitti. Spirited and amazing entrepreneur, he is a sheep breeder, a cheese maker, a restaurateur and more. Not an easy task to keep it up with him… His family, he tells me, has been breeding sheep and making cheese for three generations. He and his cousins, even after graduating in law and economics decided to go back to their roots and are now running the family business. Loreto and his family want to keep things natural and traditional, as it was done by their parents and grandparents. “This is an agropastoral farm - he explains - we breed sheep and we grow forage crops to feed the herd during the cold seasons. During the warm seasons we use natural pasture. Since this is an organic farm - he continues - we do not use chemicals at all for the breeding nor for the cultivation. Also we do not use chemicals in the production of cheese and this is preserved and aged naturally in cellars or in caves, depending on the grade of ripening we want to reach. That’s why we say that our cheese is wild”.
The herd is composed of approximately 800 sheep. The farm manages 60-70 hectares of fields for both natural pasture and forage crops.
Sheep are milked twice-a-day, except those feeding the lambs. The milk is processed at Loreto’s dairy within 24 hours after the milking: “We produce 20 different types of cheese, all of them belonging to the tradition of Lazio region and, of course, of our family. Our Pecorino di Picinisco is a P.D.O. (Protected Designation of Origin)”.
The busy life of this family includes also showing up at farmer’s market in Sora, Frosinone province, and in Rome, three times a week.
On Sundays Loreto and his family are working at their restaurant. An excellent and tasty lunch is served. Groceries are all km. 0, coming from the Valle di Comino area, including of course all Loreto’s cheese.
