Italy is known for many things, from stunning attractions, like the Colosseum or Venice’s canals, to architecture, art, and history. But if there’s one thing no one can resist, it is the food, and cheese is an important part of Italian cuisine.
In our Italian cheese guide, learn everything you need to know about the country’s top cheese varieties – from Pecorino Siciliano in Sicily to the classic favorite from Emilia-Romagna, Parmigiano Reggiano.
We’ll go over everything you need to know about the top 15 different types of Italian cheeses that you have to try, how they’re made, and how to use them.
Soft Italian Cheeses
The first cheese type to go over is soft cheese. Soft Italian cheese types are usually milder with higher moisture content, making them nice and creamy but not overpowering. Some may be spreadable, while others have soft and edible rinds and a little more tang and texture.
1. Ricotta
Ricotta is a southern Italian speciality believed to originate in Sicily. Regular ricotta has a soft and creamy, curd-like texture. Typically, it’s a sheep’s milk cheese, but it can be made with goat, cow, or water buffalo milk. You might find it similar to cottage cheese, except it has more flavor.
This cheese has a few varieties, like ricotta infornata and ricotta salata. Ricotta infornata is baked until the crust becomes a deep golden brown to develop a more nutty, rich flavor. Ricotta salata is aged slightly longer, so it’s a more crumbly version of traditional ricotta.
How to use it: Ricotta is used in many traditional Sicilian foods, from desserts, like ricotta granita and cannolo Siciliano, to savory ravioli or creamy tomato pasta.
2. Burrata
Coming from the Puglia region, burrata is another must-try. It’s in the same family as mozzarella, except it has a much softer texture and a distinct, almost liquid, interior. It’s made from a shell of mozzarella that’s filled with either butter, cream, or stracciatella.
The fillings usually determine the different varieties, like burrata stracciatella, burrata con crema (with cream), or burrata burrino (with butter). The flavors will be slightly different depending on the filling, but generally, it’s mild and easy to pair.
How to use it: Enjoy this cheese on crusty bread, drizzled with olive oil, or on top of something like creamy red pepper pasta. It’s also a fun twist on Caprese salad, where you’d typically use mozzarella.
3. Mascarpone
Mascarpone is another Italian favorite. It’s mainly used as a dessert cheese, though it can be used for savory dishes in some cases. This smooth cheese dates back to the Middle Ages in the Lombardy region of northern Italy. Mascarpone is a cow’s milk cheese that’s thickened by adding some form of acid, like lemon juice, and then heated and strained.
The flavor of mascarpone cheese varies depending on its age, but it’s always going to be pretty mild compared to tangy cream cheese, for example. The texture is very smooth, luxurious, and easily spreadable.
How to use it: Mascarpone is most famously used in the traditional Italian dessert, tiramisu, but it can be used in cheesecakes, pasta sauces, or as an extra creamy element in risotto.
4. Stracciatella
Stracciatella is one of Puglia’s regional specialties. It has quite a unique texture, a sort of mix between a cheese curd texture and a liquid, making it soft and almost stringy. It’s what they call a “pasta filata” cheese, meaning “spun paste,” referring to the pulling or stretching of the cheese (hence the name). This variety is made from fresh mozzarella curds, stretched with heavy cream. It’s also traditionally made with water buffalo milk or cow’s milk.
It can have a slightly tangy and richer flavor, sometimes with a hint of sweetness, but it’s never overpowering. Stracciatella is best enjoyed freshly made.
How to use it: You can use stracciatella in pasta sauces or as a filling for tortellini and ravioli. Sometimes, it’s nice to serve in a bowl with olive oil, seasoning, and some bread to spread on. It’s also used at the center of another cheese, burrata stracciatella.
DISCOVER: The countryside of Puglia by staying in one of the Best Agriturismo Puglia: Top Masserie and Farm Stays.
5. Stracchino
To round off the soft cheeses, we have stracchino. The name comes from the Italian word “stracca,” which means “tired,” referring to the grass-fed cows that graze the pastures of the region, being exhausted after their seasonal migration. It originated in the northern region of Lombardy, and it is often used interchangeably with the name crescenza.
Traditionally, fresh cow’s milk is used, but more modern variations use pasteurized cow’s milk instead. Some types may be made from sheep or goat’s milk. Regardless, stracchino is a very delicate and creamy cheese with a mild and slightly acidic taste.
How to use it: Like most soft types, you can use it in pasta sauces, spread on sandwiches and toasted bruschetta, or in a stracchino lasagne.
Semi-Soft and Semi-Hard Italian Cheeses
The next two types of cheese in Italy that you can find are the semi-soft and semi-hard varieties. Semi-soft cheese still has a high moisture content, leaving a creamy texture, but not high enough that it loses its structure. While they’re soft, they’re firm enough to slice easily. Semi-hard ones are a little bit firmer and aged longer, so they have a more concentrated flavor.
6. Asiago
Asiago is a semi-soft cheese that comes from the Veneto region of Italy. At a minimum, it’s aged for around 20 days and has a creamy yet firm texture. It has a similar nutty and sharp taste to parmesan cheese, except it’s a bit softer and less intense. It’s typically made with cow’s milk.
There are a lot of different types of asiago cheese, each with different levels of seasoning and aging time, and as a result, completely different taste profiles. Two popular variations, though, are Asiago Pressato, from Po Valley, and Asiago d’Allevo. The latter is aged much longer, so it’s a bit firmer with a stronger flavor.
How to use it: Its slightly firmer texture makes it easy to use in a wide range of different dishes. You can grate it over pasta, slice it for a charcuterie board alongside Prosciutto di Parma, or melt it on top of a tomato and asiago pizza.
7. Mozzarella di Bufala
Mozzarella di Bufala, or buffalo mozzarella in English, is one of the more widely used cheeses on this list. It’s not the same as the regular mozzarella, made from cow’s milk, that you might come across in the store. This one is specifically made from Italian buffalo milk in Campania, Italy.
This cheese has a bright white color, a smooth and soft outer shell, and an even softer interior. The milk is warmed and combined with rennet and a whey starter to create the curds, which are then boiled and melted, shaped into round balls, and placed in a salted brine.
The resulting flavor is fresh and milky, with a slight saltiness. When comparing it to regular mozzarella, this kind is a bit more sour.
How to use it: Fresh mozzarella di bufala is the perfect addition to many Italian dishes. It’s mostly used on popular dishes like Caprese salad alongside fresh basil and tomato, Neapolitan pizza, a grilled cheese sandwich, or fried mozzarella sticks.
8. Provolone
Provolone also falls into the category of pasta filata, as it’s made by stretching it to form its shape. While it originated in the Basilicata region in Southern Italy, it’s now primarily produced in Lombardy and Veneto. Some varieties are aged less than four months, creating a semi-firm texture with a mild nutty flavor, while others can be aged for up to a year or more, like Provolone Piccante.
The younger the cheese, the sweeter the taste, and the older, the more strong, spicy, and smokey the flavor is. The flavor of provolone is definitely unique and worth a taste.
How to use it: You can use it almost anywhere you use mozzarella cheese, like melting on top of pizzas or in grilled sandwiches or paninis. Provolone is excellent on top of baked pasta or sliced for a charcuterie board.
9. Gorgonzola
Gorgonzola is an Italian blue cheese that’s usually made in the Piedmont and Lombardy regions of Italy. The name likely originates from the small town of Gorgonzola, just outside of Milan, where the first iteration of the cheese was made. It’s a bit crumbly, with characteristic blue lines running through it.
It’s made using the classic rennet and milk combination but has an extra ingredient that makes it unique – a special bacteria called Penicillium glaucum. This bacteria creates a kind of mold that gives Gorgonzola its pungent, salty, and intense flavor.
How to use it: Gorgonzola can be overpowering, so it’s good to pair it with foods that mellow out the strong, pungent flavor. So, you can enjoy it alongside fruits like grapes, with a drizzle of honey on top, or with a sweet jam on toast.
10. Fontina
Fontina cheese comes from the stunning Valle d’Aosta (Aosta Valley) and is made from unpasteurized cow’s milk. It has a thicker natural rind on the outside, but producers may sometimes coat it in wax for aging.
The result is a semi-firm texture that’s easy to cut with a nutty and savory flavor that’s really incomparable to anything else. Like most cheeses, the longer Fontina is aged, the more intense that nuttiness becomes.
How to use it: Fontina is a common table cheese, so it’s perfect alongside cured meats, bread, or crackers. You can bake it with herbs and spices to make a warm, melted dip or use it in a creamy mushroom and Fontina pasta.
LISTEN: To our podcast 8 cheeses you need to try in Italy.
Hard Italian Cheeses
The last cheeses to try are the hard varieties, which are probably some of the best Italian cheeses. We’re talking Parmigiano Reggiano, Grana Padano, and Pecorino, just to name a few. Hard cheeses are aged the longest and have a very firm and often crumbly texture. And, with the longer aging comes much sharper flavors.
11. Parmigiano Reggiano
Parmigiano Reggiano is arguably the most popular Italian cheese. Its Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) production area is in the Italian provinces of Parma, Reggio Emilia, Modena, and Bologna, left of the River Reno, and Mantua, right of the River Po.
Parmigiano Reggiano is made from the milk of cows bred on farms within the PDO area and fed under very specific standards. The milk from the morning and evening before is poured into large copper vats and allowed to slowly coagulate with the addition of rennet and a whey starter. Once curds form, they are broken down into granules using a special tool called a “spino.”
The mixture is heated until the granules sink to the bottom to form a single mass. This mass is then formed into wheels and placed in a mold to get its final shape. The wheels are then placed in a salty water solution and left to mature for a minimum of 12 months, though some are aged for over 60 months.
All wheels of Parmigiano Reggiano go through a quality expectation by the Consortium and are then graded as “first-grade,” “medium-grade,” or “de-rinded.” The result is a typically grainy and crumbly texture, and a salty, nutty flavor, with a bit of umami.
How to use it: This cheese works well with almost anything. You can try it freshly grated over or in the sauce of pasta dishes like carbonara, stirred into soups to make them creamier, or shaved over salads.
TIP: You can learn all about how Parmigiano Reggiano is made by trying out this guided cheese tour.
12. Grana Padano
Grana Padano production is focused in the Po Valley in northern Italy and is made from unpasteurized milk from free-range cows that graze in that region. It was said to be made first by Cistercian monks in the 12th century, and the recipe hasn’t changed much since.
Grana Padano is aged for at least nine months, but it can be aged well after 20 months, depending on the desired flavor profile. During the process, the wheels are turned every 15 days, so a lot of care goes into making it. The result is a complex, nutty, salty, and savory taste and a grainy texture.
How to use it: Apart from grating it over pasta, you can try grating it over sauteed vegetables or incorporating it into a creamy filling for ravioli. Some take the sweet route and incorporate Grana Padano into a dessert, like baked figs or cheesecake.
13. Pecorino
Pecorino is arguably the most popular Italian cheese after Parmigiano Reggiano. It’s made from sheep’s milk and can be aged anywhere between 20 days and 24 months. There are so many different types of Pecorino that no two taste the same. The flavors can range from mild and milky to sharp and salty – it’s all dependent on aging time.
The most notable varieties you’ll find are Pecorino Romano (Rome), Pecorino Toscano (Tuscany), Pecorino Siciliano (Sicily), and Pecorino Sardo (Sardinia).
How to use it: Pecorino Romano is fantastic in cacio e pepe and Sardo in traditional Sardinian Culurgiones, while Pecorino Toscano is great when grated over gnocchi. You can also use any variety sliced for salads or a cheese board, paired with sweeter jams and fruits.
14. Canestrato di Moliterno
Another cheese to come out of the Basilicata region is Canestrato di Moliterno. This is a special type of hard cheese made from a blend of sheep and goat’s milk (the percentages of each vary slightly).
The milk is mixed, boiled, curdled, cut, and molded into cheese wheels. They’re usually aged for a minimum of 60 days up to a year, and have a characteristic dark rind around them and an unmistakable salty and intense flavor. The longer it ages, the spicier the taste it develops, which makes it extra powerful and more flavorful.
How to use it: Canestrato di Moliterno is quite fatty, so it goes best with fresh vegetables and fruit. You can use it grated on top of a hearty pasta with ragù, and pair it with a complex, deep red wine.
LEARN MORE: About Basilicata in our podcast Basilicata – ancient southern region of tradition and history.
15. Bitto
Rounding off this list of exceptional cheeses, we have Bitto, coming from the Valtellina Valley in Lombardy. Bitto can be semi-hard or hard, depending on how long it’s aged (between a minimum of 70 days and up to 10 or even 18 years). The texture is generally firm and a bit grainy.
Here, we’re talking about the older kinds of Bitto, with an intense and rich flavor, salty and sweet at the same time, with a tiny hint of spiciness and nuttiness. The texture is hard, crumbly, and granular, similar to parmesan.
How to use it: Bitto is one of those cheeses you can enjoy on its own. It is best at room temperature, with a drizzle of honey or balsamic vinegar. Bitto that has been aged a bit longer is also good for grating over pasta or risotto dishes.
Complete Guide to Italian Cheese – Wrapped Up
Now that you know all of the best cheese varieties in Italy, which will you try first? With so many cheeses to choose from and so many ways to use them, you’ll never run out of options. From mild everyday favorites like mozzarella to more acquired tastes like a potent Gorgonzola, there’s something for everyone.
Just make sure to keep this cheese guide on hand for your next culinary journey. And if you still aren’t sure what to try, have a look at these food guides that feature a few of these phenomenal cheeses:
Our team of writers and creatives at Untold Italy are experts in keeping you informed and inspired about travel in Italy. Our team collaboration involves writers, photographers and editorial staff dedicated to sharing accurate Italy travel information.
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