Rome Capital is a City of Cheese - Caput Casei

Rome «Caput Casei»: The Capital joins the Cities of Cheese

On March 28, 2025, the Sala della Protomoteca, in the heart of the Campidoglio, hosted the day during which Rome was officially proclaimed a «City of Cheese - Caput Casei». With this title, the Capital joined the national network of Cities of Cheese, a register established in 2020 by ONAF - National Organization of Cheese Tasters to promote Italian territories with the strongest dairy vocation. A recognition that brings the dairy wealth of Rome, the Municipality, and the entire Lazio region to the center of attention.

A day at the Campidoglio dedicated to Italian cheese

The initiative, promoted by ONAF together with the Capitoline Administration, took place in the presence of Mayor Roberto Gualtieri and various administrators, cheesemakers, technicians, and representatives of the agricultural world. The choice of venue was no coincidence: the Sala della Protomoteca, a symbolic place of Roman institutional life, gave the event strong official value, underlining how cheese is an integral part of the country's gastronomic and cultural identity.

The program: conferences, presentations, and a legislative proposal

The day featured a structured program designed to combine the technical rigor of tasters with public outreach:

• two thematic conferences on Italian dairy culture and the role of the territories;
• the presentation of a volume dedicated to the history and science of cheese;
• the screening of a video recounting the national dairy heritage;
• the submission to MASAF (Ministry of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forestry) of the proposal to establish a National Cheese Day.

The proposal suggests July 12 as the symbolic date, the feast day of Saint Lucius, a martyr and shepherd from Val Cavargna considered the patron saint of cheesemakers and mountain dairy workers. The goal is to provide an annual institutional occasion to celebrate Italian PDO and PGI supply chains.

The dairy vocation of Rome and Lazio

The title of «Caput Casei» is based on concrete credentials: the Roman territory boasts over fifty active dairies, a centuries-old tradition, several Protected Designation of Origin products, and numerous traditional agri-food products. From Pecorino Romano PDO to the sheep and buffalo milk productions of the Roman countryside and Lazio, the event highlighted how deeply rooted cheese culture is in the history and economy of the region.

ONAF and the Cities of Cheese network

Founded to train and bring together cheese tasters, ONAF promotes courses, guided tastings, and events throughout Italy. The Cities of Cheese network, of which Rome is now a part, brings together the municipalities that best represent national dairy biodiversity, fostering food and wine tourism, training, and the protection of traditional productions. For Rome, «Caput Casei» means fully entering this circuit of excellence.