What You Need to Know: Useful Information
Pecorino Romano is one of Italy's oldest and most renowned cheeses, famous for its strong, savory, and slightly spicy taste. This hard cheese is made exclusively from sheep's milk. Lazio has many historic dairies that still produce Pecorino Romano using traditional methods that follow DOP (Protected Designation of Origin) rules. The production begins with fresh sheep's milk coagulated with rennet, which is then finely broken and cooked at precise temperatures to obtain a compact paste. After dry salting, the cheese is aged for at least 5 months, although the process can last up to 8 months or more for a more intense and full-bodied flavor. Pecorino Romano is famous for its role in cooking, especially in classic dishes like Pasta alla Carbonara, Amatriciana, and Cacio e pepe. Traditional Roman dishes are enhanced by this cheese, and many dairies in Lazio offer tours of their facilities to discover the cheese-making process up close and taste Pecorino Romano in various stages of aging.
Getting There
By train
To visit the historic agricultural regions where Pecorino Romano dairies thrive, you can take a regional Trenitalia train from Rome directly to stations like Frosinone, Rieti, or Viterbo. From these provincial rail hubs, local suburban buses connect you directly to the rural countryside and dairy facilities.
By car
Driving is the most practical way to explore the scattered country dairies at your own pace. From Rome, you can easily hop onto the A1 highway (Autostrada del Sole) heading north toward the Sabina hills or south toward the Ciociaria region, following local provincial roads (strade provinciali) to reach the farms.
By bus
For regional public transit travelers, COTRAL regional buses run extensive daily networks connecting the main transit terminals of Rome (such as Ponte Mammolo, Anagnina, or Saxa Rubra) directly to the smaller rural villages across Lazio where traditional cheese production takes place.
Useful Contacts
- Ufficio Turistico Regionale Visit Lazio (Lazio Main Tourism Information Hub): +39 06 516811 | [email protected]
What to Bring & Pro Tips
- Because many dairies in Lazio offer tours of their facilities to view the production up close, it is highly recommended to call or email the farms in advance to book a guided visit, especially if you want to align your trip with the morning milking and curd-breaking schedules.
- You will be walking through active food production areas and damp aging cellars, so make sure to wear comfortable, flat, closed-toe walking shoes with slip-resistant soles.
- The climate-controlled aging rooms are kept consistently cool and humid to help the cheese develop its intense and full-bodied flavor, so packing a light jacket or sweater is a smart idea even during a hot summer visit.
- If you plan to purchase fresh wedges during your tasting, bring a small insulated cooler bag with ice packs to keep your savory souvenirs fresh during the journey back to your hotel.
The “Hidden Gem”
Once you have toured the processing rooms and tasted the sharp, salted wheels of Pecorino Romano, leave the valleys behind to discover the majestic, cliffside Monastery of Saint Benedict (Sacro Speco) in Subiaco.
Instead of looking at standard town markets, drive up into the rugged Aniene Valley to find this breathtaking spiritual sanctuary built directly against a sheer rock wall overhanging a dramatic gorge. Founded over a thousand years ago, the monastery completely envelops the holy cave where a young Saint Benedict lived as a hermit before establishing Western monasticism. Inside, a labyrinth of stone chapels features spectacular 13th-century frescoes painted directly onto the mountain bedrock, alongside a peaceful rose garden. Walking through these silent, gravity-defying stone corridors offers a wonderfully cool, awe-inspiring break from the agricultural lowlands, rewarding travelers with one of the most visually stunning and historically profound cultural sites in all of Lazio.
