CASCIOTTA D’URBINO PDO

DESCRIPTION, HISTORY AND CHARACTERISTICS OF THE PDO
Casciotta d’Urbino PDO is a little gem of cheese-making in the Marche region that encapsulates a centuries-old past; the tenacity of small and large producers; a strange – and unique – name; a fascinating story of passion and ties involving none other than Maestro Michelangelo Buonarroti.
The fruit of traditional processing and a symbol of the Pesaro and Urbino (Marche) area, Casciotta d’Urbino PDO is the first cheese product to have gained PDO certification in Italy. It is among the oldest local cheeses in Italy, tracing its origins back to the 16th century and is made from a blend of sheep’s milk (70-80%) and cow’s milk (20-30%).
Its unique name stands out for its peculiar phoneme ‘SC’. A mispronunciation that is said to be due to a transcription error by a government employee and which differentiates it from other cheeses that, like it, derive their identifying term from the ancient “cascio”, a local dialect variant of the more common “cacio”.
It is a table cheese that can be seasoned with olive oil, herbs and pepper. It goes beautifully with polenta, but is also excellent paired with fresh vegetables, Ascoli olives, fresh fruit or nuts. It also goes well with aperitifs, honey and jams. It prefers young white wines such as Bianchello del Metauro DOC, an indigenous variety from the province of Pesaro and Urbino, but also some rosé wines.
It was during this period that the story of a long-standing love affair between the great Michelangelo Buonarroti and Casciotta d’Urbino began, not only cherishing an exquisite dairy product but one that is also a symbol of the territory. This cheese was much loved by the artist, who had land in Casteldurante, the present-day Urbania, a small village nestled in the hinterland of the province of Pesaro and Urbino.
It is said that, to ensure that he had an abundant supply of Casciotta while he was busy with the Piazza del Campidoglio and the Basilica of St. Peter’s in the Vatican and its dome, Michelangelo rented (as recorded in a notarial deed dated 12 February 1554) three farms with a house and land in Casteldurante from his servant and closest associate, Francesco Amatori, known as l’Urbino, and a native of the town. It is from this individual, and not, as one might think, from the nearby Renaissance city of Urbino, that the DOP takes its name.
“Casciotta d’Urbino PDO” is produced within the territory of the province of Pesaro-Urbino and in some municipalities of the province of Rimini (Novafeltria, Talamello, Sant’Agata Feltria, Casteldelci, Maiolo, San Leo, Pennabilli) following age-old cheese-making techniques, which have been strengthened over the centuries and are strictly controlled.
The P.D.O. is reserved solely for products meeting all the requirements that give them a particular connotation. “Casciotta d’Urbino” is a cheese obtained from whole ewe’s milk in quantities varying from a minimum of 70 to a maximum of 80%, and whole cow’s milk for the remaining 20-30% from two daily milkings.  The milk is coagulated at a temperature of around 35°C with liquid and/or powered rennet.