Pecorino Toscano Dairies in the Maremma

Caseificio Il Fiorino, Roccalbegna

Località Paiolaio, Roccalbegna, between Siena and Grosseto. The Fiorini family has made cheese here since 1957 and now produces more than 40 kinds, from Pecorino Toscano DOP to aged, flavoured and organic cheeses and fresh ricotta.

Il Segreto del Pecorino, the standard visit, covers the family's story, the main production steps seen up close and the natural ageing rooms, where rock, water and the cave's own climate shape the cheese. It ends with four pecorini, fresh ricotta with honey and preserves, bread, water and a glass of sparkling wine, and you take home a cool bag. About two hours, €25, in Italian, French or English. A longer version, Sulle Vie della Transumanza, adds a tasting of six pecorini and a guided walk through the medieval village of Roccalbegna and its churches, telling the story of the seasonal sheep migrations.

The dairy shop in Roccalbegna is open Monday to Saturday 9:00 to 13:00 (phone +39 0564 989059). Casa Fiorini, the second shop on Via Cina in Grosseto, opens daily 8:00 to 13:00 and 16:00 to 20:00.

Caseificio Sociale di Manciano

Località Piano di Cirignano, Manciano, a cooperative making cheese from Maremma milk for more than 50 years. On some weekday mornings it opens the plant for guided visits that follow the milk from delivery to finished cheese, ending with a tasting. Booking is required: phone 0564 60941 or email [email protected].

The farm shop beside the dairy has its own car park and is open Monday to Friday 7:00 to 19:30 and Saturday 7:00 to 12:30; closed Saturday afternoon, Sunday and holidays.

Getting There

Both dairies are in southern Tuscany's inland Maremma, Roccalbegna in the hills below Monte Amiata and Manciano towards the Lazio border. You need a car.

Nearby

Pecorino di Pienza is a different cheese from the Val d'Orcia, further north: see pecorino in Pienza.