Canestrato di Castel del Monte

Three hundred forage species have been counted on the Gran Sasso pastures against 20 or 30 in an Alpine meadow, and that, with the dry air at altitude, is why sheep have always come here. Flocks were brought up seasonally from the Tavoliere in Puglia, from the Agro Romano, the Maremma and the Terra di Lavoro around Caserta. Transhumance and the cheeses that went with it run through the whole history of Abruzzo, and the Gran Sasso and Monti della Laga is where it ends up: Campo Imperatore, a plateau 19 kilometres long at 1,800 metres.