Is This Alpine Parmesan-Style Cheese Italy’s Best-Kept Secret?

As Italy prepares to host the Winter Olympics in the Dolomites, I traveled to Trentino to document how some of its most traditional foods are made. In this episode, I follow the making of Trentingrana, a giant alpine Parmesan-style cheese produced in cooperative dairies using raw mountain milk, copper vats, and long aging, to understand how scale, time, and alpine conditions shape one of Trentino’s most important cheeses. Catch up on previous episodes here:    • Why Italy’s Smelliest Cheese is Actually I...      • I Tried Alpine Food at One of Italy’s Olde...      • The Secrets Behind Italy’s Rarest Smoked Meat   Some travel and access for this trip were provided with the support of Dolomita, who assisted with local outreach and research. https://dolomita.net/ 🇮🇹 My Italy tours https://loliv.it/en/tour/puglia-tour-... 📝 Apply for a private food & culture travel consultation https://forms.gle/pNPw4AWNa66QTTuX7 🗞️ Join my newsletter https://newsletter.claudiaromeo.com/ 🎥 Want to be featured in a documentary? Apply here https://forms.gle/e7PUUpATqE9Go28BA Visit https://caseificiopresanella.com/ 00:00 Trentingrana: a giant alpine Parmesan-style cheese 01:34 The grana family of cheeses and copper vats 03:11 Cutting the curd: precision and speed 04:29 Cooking the curd and controlling texture 09:25 Lifting the cheese from the vat: a two-person job 11:36 From vat to wheel: brining and first markings 13:02 The impressive aging rooms (over 5,000 cheeses here) 13:55 Tapping the wheels: detecting defects by sound 15:29 What is the Grana Padano marking doing here? 16:31 The art of opening a 24-month wheel + tasting 20:37 Stay tuned for Road to the Winter Olympics, Ep. 4: Speck This video is a food documentary part of my traditional food stories series. Subscribe to my channel if you love food and travel    / @claudia-romeo   #cheese #italy #olympics #food #traditionalfood #cooking #foodvideo #foodie Let’s connect Instagram:   / claudiaromeo   TikTok:   / .claudiaromeo   Snapchat:   / claudia-romeo   Facebook:   / cldromeo   My Amazon recommendations: https://www.amazon.com/shop/claudiaromeo Buy me a ☕: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/claudiar... My Equipment - AF Panasonic LUMIX S5II https://amzn.to/3NvUeow Sony ZV-E10 https://amzn.to/3GJJr7f Osmo Pocket 3: https://amzn.to/4jabeyb Rode Wireless GO II https://amzn.to/3GGo5ax Joby Telepod https://amzn.to/3jREKiL Joby Compact Tripod https://amzn.to/3ZaCvqN Contact [email protected] About me I’m a journalist and producer with over 10 years of experience covering traditional dishes, food culture, and culinary craftsmanship. Originally from Bari, Italy, and now in London, I’ve built my career exploring how food reflects the identity of people and places. On this channel, I document iconic foods, meet local producers and artisans, and explore the relationship between land, culture, and cuisine. Previously, my work featured on Business Insider’s Regional Eats, So Expensive, and Food Tours. Copyright Notice All footage, interviews, and original content in this video are protected by copyright and may not be reproduced, redistributed, or used in any form without prior written permission. Unauthorized use, including but not limited to reuploads, edits, or incorporation into other works, may result in legal action. This channel is dedicated to self-funded independent journalism. For licensing inquiries, please contact: [email protected]