Anyone who explores the back roads of southern Italy — through the rugged hills of Campania, the arid highlands of Puglia or the unspoilt mountains of Calabria and Basilicata — will recognise the magical contrast. Outside, the fierce southern Italian sun beats down on the land and the heat shimmers amongst the olive trees. But as soon as you pass through the heavy wooden door or the stone archway of a traditional cantina, you step into a completely different world. The temperature drops immediately, the cool air washes over your chest and your nose is tickled by a deep, intense and savoury aroma.
You are in the sacred temple of the southern Italian casaro (cheese-maker): the cheese cellar.
Whilst the industrial food sector allows cheeses to ‘mature’ wrapped in plastic film in strictly climate-controlled, sterile factory halls, the small-scale farmer in southern Italy swears by nature and the laws of the Mezzogiorno. Here, in cellars deep underground or hewn into the flanks of limestone cliffs, lies the best-kept secret behind the character and rich flavour of genuine artisanal southern Italian cheese.
At Kelvini Italian Artisan, we believe that time and tradition create flavour. Join us on a journey in the shadow of the southern Italian sun and discover why the cheese cellar is the true birthplace of culinary character.
The Microcosm of the Southern Italian Winery
An authentic southern Italian cheese cellar is not simply a storage space; it is a living organism. The walls are often built from thick natural stone or local tuff, which perfectly keeps out the extreme heat of the summers. The shelves are made from untreated, locally sourced wood that has lasted for generations.
This isn’t just nostalgia. These cellars are alive. They are home to a unique, decades-old microflora of beneficial moulds, yeasts and bacteria.
When a unique southern Italian cheese — such as a firm Caciocavallo, a pressed Pecorino from the hills, or an artisanal Provolone — is placed in the cellar, an intense process begins. The cheeses are often hung in pairs from ropes across wooden beams (a cavallo, literally ‘on horseback’) or laid on wooden shelves. The cheese slowly loses moisture through its porous rind, whilst the unique bacteria in the cellar colonise the exterior. This creates a natural protective layer and a flavour profile that cannot be replicated anywhere else in the world.
The Daily Ritual: Love, Salt and Olive Oil
The maturing of cheese — known in Italy as ‘stagionatura’ — is by no means a passive process in the South. It is a gruelling, daily craft that demands precision, physical strength and a keen sense of touch.
1. Turning and Checking
To ensure that the fat and moisture are evenly distributed throughout the cheeses, whether they are hanging or lying flat, the farmer must constantly check, move and turn each cheese.
2. The Olive Oil Massage (La Curatura)
Whilst in other regions cheese is washed only with brine, the South has a tradition all of its own. During the maturing process, many cheeses are regularly rubbed with a mixture of local, cold-pressed olive oil and, sometimes, a pinch of autumn herbs or tomato purée. This protects the cheese from drying out, keeps the rind supple and gives the cheese that characteristic, deep golden-yellow to amber colour and an unmistakably savoury aroma.
3. Playing with Humidity
As summers in southern Italy are dry and hot, the farmer has to constantly regulate the climate in the cellar. Sometimes this involves opening a small hatch to let in the cool evening breeze from the valley; at other times, it involves wetting the floor to maintain the humidity.
The Spirit of the South: Why These Cheeses Are Unique
The cellar brings out the best in the cheese, but its soul is shaped by the rugged landscape of southern Italy. In the drier, hilly regions of the South, sheep, goats and specific breeds of cattle (such as the hardy Podolica cows) graze on pastures full of wild thyme, rosemary, bitter grasses and wild fennel.
This diet is far more herb-rich and sparse than the lush, tender grasslands of the north. And you can taste the difference straight away in the milk. The essential oils from these Mediterranean herbs are transferred directly into the raw milk.
When this milk is then processed in the traditional way, without pasteurisation (raw milk), into, for example, a Pecorino or a herb-infused Caciocavallo, all those wild aromas are preserved. Months of maturation in a cool, dark cellar concentrate these flavours into a harmonious whole. The result? Cheeses with character: intense, complex, sometimes pleasantly tangy, with notes of dried herbs, almonds and a deep, earthy undertone.
Experience the character of the Mezzogiorno at Kelvini
With supermarket cheese, what you taste above all is efficiency and industrial production methods. In the southern Italian cheeses we select for Kelvini Italian Artisan, you can taste the scorching sun, the passion of the small-scale farmer and the secrets of the centuries-old cantina. We work exclusively with producers who uphold these family traditions, a world away from mass production.
These are cheeses with a story to tell, made to be savoured at your leisure with a full-bodied southern Italian red wine, some artisan sourdough bread and a generous splash of our liquid gold.
Bring the best-kept secret of the southern Italian cheese cellars into your home.
Discover our unique selection of artisanal cheeses from Southern Ilia in our online shop and savour pure tradition.
Frequently Asked Questions about Southern Italian Cheese (FAQ)
What does it mean when a cheese has been matured ‘a cavallo’?
This is particularly evident in cheeses such as Caciocavallo or Provolone. The cheeses are tied in pairs to a rope and hung literally astride (a cavallo, meaning ‘on horseback’) wooden beams in the cheese cellar. This hanging maturation process gives the cheese its characteristic teardrop or pear shape and allows the texture to mature very evenly from the inside out.
Why is cheese from southern Italy often spicier than cheese from northern Italy?
This is due to the Mediterranean herbs and grasses that the animals eat, but also to the traditional use of specific rennets (such as goat’s or lamb’s rennet instead of calf’s rennet) in the production of, for example, Pecorino. This, combined with the warm, drier maturation in the cellar, gives the cheese its characteristic, intense and slightly tangy ‘bite’.
Can you eat the rind on these cheeses?
With authentic cheeses from the cantina that have been rubbed with olive oil, the rind is completely natural. In principle, the rind is edible. However, as these cheeses are often left to hang or lie for a long time, causing the rind to become very hard and develop an intense flavour, most people choose to cut the outer layer away. Why not try using leftover hard rinds (after giving them a good clean) in a pasta sauce or soup whilst it’s simmering; they impart a fantastic, deep umami flavour!