Description
Sheep everywhere you turn...
The hills are dotted with sheep. You can hear them and their bells from far off. Strange but true, there's always a black sheep in each flock...
You'll even find several flocks of goats, too.
Watch out on the country lanes: you'll often find flocks being driven to/from the fields.
There's even a special sheep dog: the "Pastore Maremmano": white and shaggy, they grew up with the flocks, thinking they're a sheep! Beware though, they can be vicious.

Technical sheet
The main breed of sheep is the Sardianian sheep, an excellent source of milk and meat.
The wool industry nowadays is a minor concern, due to global competition.

The main cheeses are: pecorino (both the salty Roman type and a medium hard table cheese), caciotta (fresh, medium and mature) and ricotta. The cheeses can be either pure sheep's milk, pure goat's milk or blended with cow's milk.

The sheep are generally allowed to graze freely all year round.
Lambing is in the late Summer/early Autumn (Italians want their lamb for Easter).

Quality certification
Ricotta Romana DOP
Pecorino Stagionato DOP .

Area of production
Canino, Cellere, Piansano, Arlena, Tessennano, Tuscania, Monte Romano, Montalto di Castro and Tarquinia

Local producers & sales outlets

Tombini Lucio Loc. Forca di Palma - Tarquinia tel. 0766/858809 Soc.Semplice di Podda Bernardo e Podda Patrizio Loc. Pian D'Organi - Tarquinia, tel. 0766/840181 Caseificio della Maremma S.r.l. S.P. Castrense - Montalto di Castro, tel.0766/89400 Francesca Manca Via della Marina, 5 - Montalto di Castro, tel.0766/879616 cell.389/9750860 Coop.va Doganella s.r.l. Loc. Roggi s.n.c - Canino tel.0761.438153 - 437730 email: doganella@libero.it

Giorgi Formaggi Via Santa Maria della Neve 10 - Canino tel.0761.437180 Caseificio Radicetti SS. 312, km 23 - Cellere tel. 0761.451787/347.5015831 Caseificio Val Perino Località Valle Perino snc, Piansano, tel. 0761.450792 Il Fiocchino Strada Variante - loc. Fiocchino - Piansano, tel. 0761.450154 / 338.4747562 - www.ilfiocchino.it Caseificio Angelo Pannucci Strada Martana Km 7,20 - Tuscania tel. 0761.435225 3 A Formaggi Giuseppe Ariani, via Genova s.n.c. - Tuscania tel. 0761.445023

Local related events
"Festa della Pastorizia" in Piansano, early Autumn. Stands and various events, demonstrations of how to make ricotta cheese.