We are located in Mondavio, one of the most renowned villages in Italy, on the hills of Pesaro, in the heart of the charming historic center of Renaissance origin, the ancient seat of the noble Della Rovere family, lords of Urbino.
Just a stone's throw from the Rocca Roveresca, we encounter a fascinating world: Le affinità gustative, a small artisanal laboratory for the aging and refinement of raw milk pecorino cheeses, aged in caves, recognized as traditional agri-food products (PAT) of the Marche Region.
The laboratory is located in an ancient tuff cave with Renaissance origins.
inside which high-quality cheeses are selected by the young Claudia, undergoing a very particular and unique transformation over the course of long months of aging, thanks to the internal microclimate of the cave.
The cheeses are aged in very limited and seasonal productions, with the intervention of leaves, hay, and flowers of organic origin, the result of ancient traditions and knowledge well rooted in the countryside of the territory, transmitted mainly through use and word of mouth, from house to house.
The pecorino cheeses, or rather, The “Taste Affinities” thus transformed, astonish the palate of those who taste them because their flavor is the alchemical result of combinations, tastes, and aromas that blend and confuse within the cave, aged in large oak barrels and old terracotta jars.
The result of this process is surprising, in the aromas and flavors of the cheeses to which Claudia has attributed names that evoke wise customs, places from the past, or legends, such as the “Casecc,” a raw milk pecorino aged in walnut leaves according to an ancient tradition of the province of Pesaro Urbino. Inside large terracotta jars, the cheeses are covered with layers of walnut leaves, emitting a strong flavor and a characteristic note of walnut.
Another product, different from the previous one, is the 'Ampelos', a raw milk pecorino aged inside a coating of vine leaves. The cheeses wrapped in vine leaves are placed inside oak barrels or terracotta jars and left to mature until the leaves release the aroma of must and ripe grapes.
The 'Crusca' is a raw milk pecorino, aged inside large oak barrels and completely covered with wheat bran, an ancient method used for preserving soft and creamy cheese, which adds to the preservation provided by aging.
'Ipogeo' is instead a raw milk pecorino wrapped with aromatic herbs.
Placed on carts, the shapes are covered with aromatic grass.
of local origin whose use was known since ancient times. The particular aroma of the herb releases a fresh and very persistent flavor in the cheese.
Instead, the “Wine Crust” owes its name to the particular processing with wine. A mature pecorino, always made from raw milk, is refined with red wine flavored with bay leaves and wild fennel. The cheeses are subsequently placed on carts and daily moistened with flavored wine, until they acquire an intense reddish coloration.
From spring “Maggengo”, raw milk pecorino, aged with hay and acacia flowers. Inside wooden boxes, the cheeses are arranged one on top of the other while the freshly cut hay and the acacia flowers, rich in their fragrances, release a large amount of aromas.
Claudia's world represents the tradition acquired in the family, which in the past owned a dairy and is carried on with admirable passion and dedication that she herself illustrates during the numerous meetings and participations, passionately reiterating the importance of local traditions and niche productions to be preserved, completely foreign to large distribution.
The taste affinities offer the possibility of experiencing a sensory experience.
made of aging and tasting cheeses, allowing the visitor to feel emotional along the journey of the magical Renaissance cave, exciting, discovering, smelling, sniffing, and, once again, filling the eyes and heart with emotions, ultimately preserving the memory of an authentic experience in the heart of the Marche.
