Historical Bitto and Rebels of the Alps
Hiking and Tasting | 2 days
On the program is a visit to the Bitto center of Gerola, hiking to the mountain pastures to meet the Rebels calèc and casère, an overnight in a refuge, the opportunity of tasting Bitto, other cheeses from the Alps and local traditional dishes. Officine Turistiche lets you discover where and how this cheese origins. You can learn about its thousand-year old history directly from the people who produce it through a hike in the marvelous Val Gerola.
Day 1
- 11:00 a.m. Meeting point at Gerola’s Bitto Center
- guided visit to the Bitto Museum
- guided visit to the aging casèra , cheese rounds from different years
- guided vertical Bitto tasting, 3 year span
- lunch based on local traditions: polenta taragna traditional recipe with Historical Bitto + local cold cuts + bisciola valtellinese dessert + water + coffee + Red Nino Negri Valtellina wine
- 02:00 p.m. Self drive hiking to the Refuge*
- Valtellina’s local products dinner at Refuge + mountain pasture cheese tasting
- overnight at the refuge
*3 choices:
– hiking trail to the Bitto Museum, 800 meters difference in altitude
– hiking trail from Pescgallo parking, 400 meters difference in altitude
– going up with a lift from Pescegallo, (verify opening and operating time)
Day 2
- Guided visit** to mountain pastures to discover milking, milk processing, the calècc**
**Activities on the mountain pasture are seasonal. The program may therefore undergo variations.
End activity
- Self drive return to starting point
At the refuge you may ask infos about day-hikes returning either to Pescegallo or to the Bitto Center
Additional information
| Destination | Lombardy |
|---|---|
| Duration | 1 night |
| Difficulty | Difficult |
| Groups | Individual | Individual Min. 2 pax |
| Period | June, July, August, September |
Historical Bitto and Rebels of the Alps
Hiking and Tasting | 2 days.
The historical cheese from the Bitto Valleys is made with cow and goat milk. These cattle graze exclusively on mountain pastures. The milk is processed immediately after milking, in a shelter called calècc, a micro dairy on the spot, right next to the grazing land. It is important to process the milk on the spot to avoid bacteria contamination and alterations caused by transport. Aging begins in the casère d’Alpe and is completed in the Casèra di Gerola Alta, exploiting the natural climate variations of the production area. The Bitto rebels earn such title because since 1994 they have been supporting the need to preserve the difference between the historical mountain pasture cheese from the one produced more at large in the province of Sondrio, cheese produced at times with simplifying methods, animal feed, ferments and without goat milk.
What’s in the Tour:
Visit to the Bitto Center + Vertical Bitto + Hiking + Local Tradition Lunch + Dinner Based on Valtellina’s Traditions + Overnight Stay + Guided visit to Mountain Pastures (visit lasts about 2 days)
| STARTING POINT/ARRIVAL | Centro del Bitto | Via Nazionale 31 Gerola Alta SO | ||||
| SCHEDULE OF ACTIVITIES | 11:00 a.m. | ||||
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