Cheeses of Gavoi and the Barbagia
A shepherds' village in the mountains of Sardinia, a home of Fiore Sardo, the smoked raw-milk pecorino.
Made, aged and sold here
Best time: April to June and September to November.
Gavoi is a granite village in the Barbagia, the mountainous centre of Sardinia, where sheep outnumber people. It is one of the best-known homes of Fiore Sardo, the island's oldest pecorino, made by shepherds from raw sheep's milk and lightly smoked. Sardinia also makes most of the world's Pecorino Romano, and its milk flows from flocks like those around Gavoi.
Fiore Sardo and pecorino
Fiore Sardo is made from whole raw sheep's milk set with lamb's rennet, pressed into moulds, brined and then smoked lightly over a fire of local wood before ageing. It is hard, salty and smoky, and is grated or eaten in shards. Sardinian shepherds also make softer pecorino, ricotta, and casu martzu, a cheese ripened by fly larvae whose sale is restricted by food rules.
The Barbagia
The Barbagia is a land of oak and cork forest, granite and pasture, where shepherding has shaped village life for centuries. Gavoi sits above Lake Gusana and holds a literary festival in summer. In autumn, villages of the area open their old courtyards for Autunno in Barbagia, with food and crafts. Nuoro, the provincial capital, is close by.
A trail idea for Gavoi and the Barbagia
- Gavoi village Walk the granite lanes and buy pecorino from local makers.
- Lake Gusana The lake below the village, among oak woods.
- A shepherds' meal Eat at an agriturismo where shepherds serve cheese and roast meat.
- Nuoro The provincial town and its museum of Sardinian life.
Written by the EveryCheese desk with AI assistance. Background: "Gavoi" on Wikipedia. Opening hours, markets, caves and tours change; check locally before travelling. If something is wrong, tell us.
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