So far, we have followed the journey of Trentingrana, the star of our production. But our tradition doesn’t stop there. If we could go over there, beyond the wall behind the vats — an area that is unfortunately closed to the public for very strict health and safety reasons — you would find yourself in a whole new world of aromas, shapes and colours. It is here that our cheesemakers create Various varieties of cheese, all made from pasteurised milk, except for one. I’ll introduce you to just a few of them now, and then you can head to the counter to discover them all.

The star of the show is Casolét, the most iconic and traditional cheese of the Val di Sole. Its name has ancient roots, deriving from the Latin “Caseolus”, meaning ‘little cheese’: in the past, it was the typical small cheese produced on mountain farms by families when there was too little milk to take to the dairy. Today, we produce it in two varieties. There is the traditional raw-milk version, which undergoes no heat treatment: in this way, all the aromas and ‘good’ bacteria in the milk are transferred to the cheese, giving it a unique character that is more intense and deeply linked to the season in which it was milked; and the pasteurised milk version, which is delicate, soft and sweet, and appeals to the whole family; you can also find it flavoured in different varieties.

Then there is Nostrano: a typical semi-fat mountain cheese, which we leave to mature for longer. The texture becomes firmer, with scattered holes and the flavour becomes more pronounced, savoury and mature. It is perfect for those seeking the authentic taste of tradition, and you can try it in different stages of maturity.

Then there is our pride and joy among blue cheeses: Blu Trentino. Its texture is similar to that of Casolét, but it undergoes a very distinctive process. During the processing of the milk, Penicillium Blu – the same mould used in Gorgonzola – is introduced, and before maturing, the wheels are pierced with special needles. This allows air to enter the cheese and activates the moulds that create the
classic blue veins. The result is a cheese with a strong, creamy and exquisite character, combining the sweetness of our milk with spicy and enveloping notes.

Finally, our cheeses made with milk from mountain pastures deserve a mention of their own. During the summer months, we have six local mountain pastures that deliver their milk directly to the dairy. This exceptional milk is used in two special production processes.

The first is Nostrano Latte di Malga: it is made in the same way as the classic Nostrano, but the end result has a deep yellow colour and a completely different flavour, enriched by the aromas of the pastures where the cows graze.

The second is a real gem: Trentingrana Latte di Malga. This cheese is made exclusively from milk sourced from the mountain dairy at Passo del Tonale, about 2000 meters. We’re talking about a very small-scale production: only around 150 wheels are made each year. This is precisely why it isn’t always available. Also because no wheel will be disturbed before it has reached 24 months of maturation. A choice that shows absolute respect for time and quality.

Now, to reach the final stage of our tour, let’s go down the stairs you can see
right in front of us.