Fontina DOP and Alpine Cheeses

The Dairy Icon of the Aosta Valley Alps

Fontina DOP is one of the most renowned alpine cheeses in the world. It is produced exclusively from raw whole milk from Valdostana cows (red-spotted and black-and-brown-spotted), processed within a few hours of milking to preserve the natural cultures and aromas of the alpine pastures.

Production in high-altitude alpine pastures

During the summer months, the herds are taken up to the mountain pastures of the Upper Great St. Bernard Valley, at an elevation of over 2,000 meters.

Summer alpine Fontina takes on a more intense straw-yellow color and a rich aromatic profile with floral notes, thanks to the extraordinary variety of mountain herbs and flowers grazed by the animals.

Alongside Fontina, the farming tradition produces:

• Séras: a low-fat alpine ricotta made from the residual whey, often salted and smoked according to ancient tradition.
• Tome cheeses and fresh cheeses: small semi-cooked cheeses and centrifuged alpine butter.

Aging in the Rock

Each wheel of Fontina DOP is aged for at least 3 months on spruce boards at a constant temperature (about 10°C) and extremely high humidity (over 90%).

A few kilometers from the valley, in the town of Valpelline, is the Fontina Visitor Center, where you can tour the spectacular storage chambers carved into the ancient tunnels of the copper mines, capable of holding thousands of wheels as they age.

Discover the Cheeses of the Upper Valley

Taste Fontina d’Alpeggio at mountain huts, historic communal dairies, and local restaurants throughout the valley.