It derives from the Danish Landrace breed developed in Denmark at the end of the nineteenth century.

[3]: 438  The breed standard is issued by the Ministero delle Politiche Agricole Alimentari e Forestali, the Italian ministry of agriculture and forestry; the herdbook is kept by the Associazione Nazionale Allevatori Suini, the national pig-breeders' association.

[3]: 437 A genealogical herdbook was established in 1970,[6] and is kept by the Associazione Nazionale Allevatori Suini, the Italian national association of pig breeders.

[3]: 437 The Italian Landrace is a large pig, and very long in the body due to the presence of two or three supernumerary vertebrae – it has 15 or 16 rather than the usual 13.

[3]: 438 Meat production from the Italian Landrace is normally from first-generation crosses with either the Large White Italiana or the Duroc Italiana breed, slaughtered at a weight of 160–170 kg; almost all of it is used to make preserved meat products.