Sagra del Formaggio Tombea — Val Vestino

Tombea, the soul of Val Vestino

The Cima Rest Cheese Festival, in the Municipality of Magasa (Province of Brescia), is the celebration that each year honours Tombea, a mountain pasture cheese produced on the pastures of Val Vestino and recognised as a Slow Food Presidium. It is a semi-cooked cheese with an intense flavour and herbaceous aroma, the result of a production process that follows rhythms and gestures that have remained almost unchanged over the centuries.

Cima Rest, a timeless village

The festival takes place in Cima Rest, a historic rural hamlet in Val Vestino famous for its straw-roofed barns, very rare examples of Alpine peasant architecture. It is in this setting, suspended between the mountains dividing Lake Garda from Lake Idro, that the public rediscovers the atmosphere of the mountain pastures every September. The event revolves around two inseparable themes: cheese and transhumance, the return of herds from the high pastures.

A tradition spanning over forty years

Reaching its 45th edition in 2026, the festival is traditionally held on the second Sunday of September. The food stalls offer Tombea in all its variations, along with other typical products from the valley, while local producers share the story of a cheese heritage that the community is working to have recognised with a DOP (Protected Designation of Origin) status.

A valley to discover

Val Vestino, nestled between the Brescian Garda and the Trentino border, is one of Lombardy's least-known areas. Magasa and its hamlets preserve woods, trails, and mountain pastures, making the festival day also an opportunity to discover a territory that has remained authentic, far from mass tourist circuits.