Tombea, the cheese of Valvestino

Tombea is the typical cheese of Magasa, a small inland village in Valvestino, a wonderful unspoiled valley in the Parco Alto Garda Bresciano, still little known, with an artificial lake reminiscent of the most beautiful Norwegian fjords.

Tombea is a rare hard cheese of exceptional value, made exclusively with milk from cows raised in the area. It has obtained PAT (Traditional Food Products) recognition and is Slow Food Presidium. It is named after the mountain overlooking the town.

Magasa, a journey back in time

Leaving behind the busy road that leads from Gargnano to Limone and climbing the road that gains altitude in just a few kilometers is like traveling back in time.

Olive trees immediately give way to wild vegetation. On the slopes around Magasa one can barely make out the terraces once used for growing grain and fruit. In the distance are the house-barns of Cima Rest and the silhouette of the Tombea, a two-hour walk away, until the second half of the twentieth century traversed by the many herds of which it is now orphaned.

It is here that the Tombea cheese is still made today: let’s find out more about its characteristics.

Characteristics of Tombea

With a savory taste and slightly spicy finish, enriched by the scent of the mountains, Tombea is produced from May to September using raw milk from the Bruno-Alpina breed. It comes in very generous shapes, weighing between 7 and 14 kg.

The cheese, deep yellow in color, is very compact with irregular, diffuse eye formation. Perfect as a end of meal, it is suitable for consumption after 90 days from production. This cheese also ages for years in ‘rolts’, the cheese huts.

From time immemorial, the cheese wheels that came down from the Tombea were purchased by traders who would season them and put them on the market indistinctly. Since 1979 this local gem has been celebrated by the Sagra del Formaggio di Cima Rest (Cima Rest cheese festival), held annually in September.

Val Vestino, an oasis of peace waiting to be discovered

Are you about to visit the Vestino Valley? Here are some must-see attractions:

• Lake Valvestino
• Barns of Cima Rest
• Ethnographic Museum of Valvestino;
• Astronomical Observatory.

To better organize your stay visit www.visitvalvestino.it.