The pecorino of Cerqueto - GranSassoLaga ICH

Every day it is still night when Giacomo, gets up to start the day’s work with his animals. His brother Franco is waiting for him at the summer shelter where the sheep spend the warmest months. Milking sheep and goats is still accomplished manually there. The flock then leaves the shelter to reach the pasture: a long day in the company of the animals and the striking landscapes that can be discovered in the slow and arduous ascent, while the sound of cowbells and whistles fills the silence of the mountain.

COST PER PERSON

30 €

EXPERIENCE DATE

15 July

EXPERIENCE LOCATION

Cerqueto

SEATS AVAILABLE: 25

LANGUAGE SPOKEN : ITA

The Azienda Agricola Mastrodascio Giacomino has its headquarters in Cerqueto, a small village situated at the foot of the Gran Sasso d’Italia mountain, in the heart of the Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga National Park. It is here that the flock is led every day, to two hundred hectares of pasture, between 800 and 1,300 metres above sea level. It is precisely on these pastures that about three hundred fodder species have been identified; and it is this exceptional variety in the natural diet of the sheep, together with the skillful processing of the milk, carried out according to an ancient family tradition, that makes the cheese produced by the factory unique and high quality: “Behind every cheese, there is a pasture of a different green under a different sky… there are secrets of processing that have been handed down over the centuries”.

In this workshop the participants will watch the whole process of manufacture and transformation of milk from the milking of about two hundred lactating ewes. They will learn all about the addition of rennet and the breaking of the curd. They will be shown how the mixture which is deposited in the bottom of the boiler is collected and put in the moulds and, subsequently, how it is pressed to extract the whey. Finally, they will see the white curds of ricotta cheese emerge. It will also be possible to visit the cellar for the ageing of cheeses, where they are placed to dry on wooden boards. It is the specific microclimate of the storage location that makes a difference, together with the fundamental care taken daily. At the end of the workshop, there will be an opportunity to taste both the cheeses that have just been made as well as more mature ones.

DURATION

3 hours of workshop:

Sunday 15th July from 9:00 until 12:00.

REQUIREMENTS

Dress up with comfortable clothes.

SEATS AVAILABLE

The workshop will be run for a minimum of 10 and a maximum of 25 participants.

COST

€ 30

INFO AND BOOKING

CONTACT DIRECTLY THE WORKSHOP ORGANIZER

+39 3474811276 3475804406 3463561256

francamazzetta@hotmail.it

Giacomino Mastrodascio

Biography

Giacomino Mastrodascio is the last shepherd in the village of Cerqueto. A breeder and shepherd from an early age, he has inherited a centuries-old family experience in the art of cheese-making. His father, a transhumant shepherd, was also a singer and knew how to improvise songs in ottava rima. He, on the other hand, became a sedentary shepherd by choice, and he loves the organetto and his work. He always says goodbye to his guests with this motto: “Don’t set out without the taste of wine in your mouth”.