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Typical products

Il Formaggio Asiago DOP

Formaggio Asiago DOP

Asiago PDO cheese is certainly one of the most famous and tasty Italian cheeses, an excellence born in our territory, the Asiago Plateau Sette Comuni.

Up here, in fact, since the year one thousand a tasty cheese was produced. Our mountains were since then ideal for the production of genuine milk perfect to be transformed into a natural cheese, healthy and unmistakable in taste: the plateau was - and still is - characterized by mild climate, healthy air, pure water and rich vegetation, thus providing the ideal environment and the best nutrition for livestock.

Initially sheep's milk was used, then, from about 1500, with the progressive increase of cattle farms on the plateau, only cow's milk was used.

The area for milk collection and Asiago cheese production has gradually expanded in the surrounding areas, until it spread to the foothills, the neighboring plains and the nearby Trentino mountain huts.

Today Asiago PDO is produced in four provinces: Vicenza, Trento and a part of those Padua and Treviso. Only the Asiago cheese produced in this area is authentic Asiago PDO cheese.

Asiago cheese produced with milk from mountain farms and processed entirely above 600 meters can boast the additional mention of "PRODUCT OF THE MOUNTAIN".

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Mountain product - Asiago PDO cheese
Asiago PDO cheese - Mountain product

TYPES OF ASIAGO PDO CHEESE: FRESH ASIAGO AND AGED ASIAGO

Tipi di formaggio Asiago DOP

Asiago PDO cheese is produced in two different types, depending on the seasoning: Asiago PDO Fresh (or pressed) and Asiago PDO Seasoned (or lived) which in turn according to the duration of seasoning is divided into three further categories (Mezzano, Vecchio and Stravecchio).

Discover its features below.

Aged Asiago PDO cheese

Formaggio Asiago DOP stagionato

The oldest Asiago , tastiest and closest to the tradition of highland cheesemakers, is certainly the ASIAGO STAGIONATO, also called Asiago d'allevo

It is produced with semi-skimmed milk with rennet of bovine or vegetable origin and left to mature for a period ranging from 4 to over 15 months

The color is straw-colored, and is characterized by small or medium-sized holes, has a strong and tasty taste , which increases as the maturation advances.
Depending on the duration of seasoning, Asiago Dop Seasoned is divided into: Asiago Mezzano (seasoning from 4 to 10 months), Asiago Vecchio (seasoning from 10 to 15 months) and Asiago Stravecchio (maturing over 15 months).

The seasoned Asiago PDO is produced without the use of Lysozyme, therefore the cheese is 100% natural consisting of only 3 ingredients: milk, salt, rennet.

Fresh Asiago PDO cheese

Formaggio Asiago DOP fresco

In the early '900 was born the ASIAGO FRESCO, also called Asiago pressed. The taste of this cheese, sweet and soft, has facilitated its international diffusion. 

Fresh Asiago is produced with whole milk and rennet of bovine or vegetable origin and matured for at least 20 days. The color is white or slightly straw-colored, and is characterized by a marked and irregular holes and the taste of freshly milked milk. When it exceeds 40 days of maturation, it is called Asiago PDO Riserva.

This young and delicate cheese, which melts in the mouth, is rich in calcium, vitamins and proteins of high biological value. 

Asiago PDO cheese cutting board plateau

THE ASIAGO CHEESE PROTECTION CONSORTIUM

Il Consorzio di tutela del formaggio Asiago

The Asiago Cheese Protection Consortium is an association composed of cheese producers and seasoners, with the task of protecting, promoting, enhancing and informing the consumer in relation to Asiago PDO cheese.

More precisely, the Consortium follows the product from milk collection to production in dairies and during packaging, up to labelling and marketing, verifying compliance with the production specification.

It also promotes and defends the brand and denomination of Asiago PDO in Italy and abroad and disseminates correct information on the specificities of this important Italian agri-food heritage.

The Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) is a guarantee of excellence conferred by the European Union to an agri-food product.

In the case of Asiago cheese, it indicates that its qualities are mainly due to the geographical environment in which it is produced, including natural and human factors, and that its production, processing and preparation takes place exclusively in the area of origin. Only the PDO is real Asiago cheese!

HISTORY OF THE ASIAGO CHEESE PROTECTION CONSORTIUM

The Asiago Cheese Protection Consortium was founded in 1979 on the initiative of the Chamber of Commerce of Vicenza, in order to ensure that only cheese that complies with the production specification is called, recognized and sold as Asiago.

During the previous year Asiago had already been recognized as DOC cheese (denomination of controlled origin) by decree of the President of the Republic.

In 1996 it obtained recognition by the European Union as a PDO cheese. The protected designation of origin is a trademark of legal protection of the name, attributed by the European Union to foods whose peculiar quality characteristics depend essentially or exclusively on the territory in which they were produced.

In 2020 the new Asiago PDO Specification was drawn up.

It is an association made up of cheese producers and seasoners. It has the task of protecting, promoting, enhancing and informing consumers about Asiago PDO cheese.

The Asiago PDO supply chain today includes over a thousand breeding companies, 36 producing companies and 6 maturing companies (data year 2023), which process over 2,200,000 quintals of milk every year.

Currently Asiago cheese is exported to over 50 foreign countries.

Children eat asiago dop cheese on the plateau

THE PRODUCTION SPECIFICATION OF ASIAGO PDO CHEESE

Confezione asiago dop stagionato

According to the Asiago Cheese Production Regulations, the protected designation of origin "Asiago" is reserved for semi-cooked cheese produced exclusively with cow's milk, milk that must be produced from farms located within the demarcated area and processed in dairies located in the area itself. This area is identified by art. 2 of the specification and includes the entire provinces of Vicenza and Trento and part of the provinces of Padua and Treviso.

All stages of processing of Asiago, from the raw material to the marketing of each wheel of cheese, must comply with the production rules handed down by tradition and expressed by the production specification.

Asiago cheese is unmistakable: each slice is recognized by the word "ASIAGO" on the rind and each wheel shows the number of the dairy that produced it as well as its own identification code in the casein plate, which is also marked with a logo symbolizing a form of cheese missing a clove; the absent slice is represented by the letter "A" stylized and partially inserted in the form.
The marks and marks are the symbol of these controls and provide both traceability and guarantee that the cheese is indeed PDO.

Cut shape of seasoned asiago PDO cheese

OTHER COMPANIES PRODUCING ASIAGO PDO CHEESE

The itineraries of taste where to find Asiago PDO cheese

Webcam Live

Thanks to Asiago.it's live webcams you can stay updated on what is happening in real time in various areas of the Plateau, in all seasons.
Watch the live webcams to find out what's happening at the Malghe, to see what the weather is like right now, to check the snow situation or simply to enjoy the beautiful views of the plateaus.