It is from the Langhe region and made with varying proportions of cow's, goat's, and sheep's milk.

One theory is that the cheese gets its name from the comune (municipality) of Robbio, in the province of Pavia; another that the name comes from the word rubeole (ruddy) because of the color of the seasoned rind.

Robiola di Roccaverano DOC/PDO has no rind and a slightly straw-yellow coloring with a sweet, yielding taste.

The cream-colored cheese underneath its bloomy rind has a smooth, full, tangy and mildly sour flavor, probably due to the high (52%) fat content.

However, in his Summa Lacticiniorum, the fifteenth-century dairy produce expert Pantaleone da Confienza did describe the manufacture, and praise the quality, of a cheese with this name.