List of Italian cheeses

Italy is the country with the highest variety of cheeses in the world, with over 2,500 traditional varieties, among which are about 500 commercially recognized cheeses[1] and more than 300 kinds of cheese with protected designation of origin (PDO, PGI and PAT).

Fifty-two of them are protected at a European level.

In terms of raw production volume, Italy is the third largest cheese producer in the European Union, behind France and Germany.

[2] Lombardy is the first Italian region for number of protected cheeses, with 77 varieties including Granone Lodigiano, ancestor of all Italian granular cheeses such as Grana Padano and Parmigiano Reggiano, mascarpone, and the well-known Gorgonzola blue cheese.

See List of Italian PDO cheeses for a list of those Italian cheeses which have protected designation of origin under EU law, together with their areas of origin.