Picinisco (a village of approximately 1,100 inhabitants in the Val di Comino, Frosinone province. 140km southeast of Rome, at 720m altitude in the upper Comino valley on the slopes of the Mainarde mountains that form the Lazio-Molise border) is the specific Ciociaria village whose name appears on the label of one of the finest Italian mountain sheep's cheeses: the Pecorino di Picinisco DOP (the raw-milk sheep's cheese produced from the milk of Sopravissana and Comisana sheep grazing the summer pastures of the Mainarde-Appennine boundary zone, aged for a minimum of 90 days for the "stagionato" version or up to 12 months for the "extra" version, and carrying the specific herbal-floral character of the Mainarde mountain flora, the wild thyme, the lavender, the specific mountain grass mix of the upper Val di Comino that the sheep consume in the summer transhumance period). The DOP designation was awarded in 2015, making Picinisco one of the more recently recognized Italian cheese denominations.
The Picinisco cheese tradition: the Sopravissana sheep (the indigenous breed of the central-southern Apennines, resistant to the harsh winter conditions and capable of grazing the summer high pastures at 1,600-1,900m altitude where no other sheep breed performs adequately) produce the milk in late spring through early autumn. The casari (the cheese-makers) of the Val di Comino process the milk in the traditional manner (the raw milk, the natural rennet from the lamb's stomach, the specific coagulation agent that gives the Pecorino di Picinisco its distinctive character) and age the wheels in the natural cave cellars of the Mainarde foothills. Buy directly from the producers in Picinisco and the surrounding Val di Comino villages.
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Picinisco: Cheese, Village, and Park Gateway
The Pecorino di Picinisco DOP Producers
The Picinisco DOP production zone covers the entire Val di Comino municipal territory, approximately 20 producers, ranging from small family operations (single family farms with 50-100 ewes) to the slightly larger cooperative operations. The best direct buy approach: the Picinisco Saturday market (held in the village main square on Saturday mornings during the summer season) has the producers' direct stalls. Alternatively, the agriturismo (farm stay) operations in the Picinisco territory sell the cheese alongside accommodation and meals. The "scamosciato" version (the fresh pecorino lightly smoked, the specific Picinisco fresh cheese style, eaten within 1-3 weeks of production) is the most immediately accessible and the most specifically local product: no equivalent is available in Rome or Frosinone shops.
The Parco Nazionale d'Abruzzo Gateway
Picinisco is the southernmost access point of the Val di Comino for the Parco Nazionale d'Abruzzo, Lazio e Molise (the national park established 1923, with the Marsican brown bear and the Apennine wolf as its flagship species, see the national park website pnalm.it for current access information). The Mainarde mountains above Picinisco (the ridge that forms the park boundary in the Lazio sector) are accessible for hiking from the village on the trail network that the CAI section maintains in this area.
Q&A: Picinisco and Pecorino
Can I visit a Picinisco cheese producer?
Yes, the larger Picinisco producers accept visitors with advance notice (the Val di Comino agriturismo network and the Picinisco municipal tourist office can provide current producer contacts). The visit (the milking demonstration if timing allows, the aging cellar, the tasting) takes 1-2 hours and produces the specific understanding of how mountain pecorino is made that no shop buy replicates. The best season for producer visits: June-September when the sheep are on the summer pastures and the active cheese production is in progress.
Internal Links
- Val di Comino: Vicalvi e il Borgo Medievale
- Atina: Le Mura Poligonali nella Stessa Valle
- Pecorino Italiano: Picinisco DOP nel Contesto
- Estate Val di Comino: Formaggi e Montagna
- Ciociaria Montana: Val di Comino e Mainarde
- Parco d'Abruzzo Lazio Molise: Il Lato Laziale
- Fotografare la Transumanza: Pecore e Pastore
