Historical Bitto has an eventful origin: it was in fact created by a group of cheesemakers who in 1994 did not accept the PDO that expanded the production area of this cheese to the entire province of Sondrio.
They then gave birth to the Slow Food Presidium of Historic Bitto, to preserve ancient production techniques that were in danger of being replaced by modern ones.
In 2014, exactly 20 years after the beginning of the dispute, two consortia were officially recognized, including one to protect historic Bitto.
At the headquarters of the preservation consortium you will even find a “cheese bank,” where you can buy a fresh cheese wheel and then leave it to mature at the dairy for several years.
If you want, it is also personalized with writing, dedications or drawings made with cranberry juice-a custom-made cheese!
It is made only in mountain pastures from 1400 to 2000 m and only during the summer period (60-90 days).
The alpine pastures in Bergamo are: Alpe Foppa, Alpe Parissolo, Alpe Ancogno Soliva, Alpe Calvizzola.