Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Sorrento Cheese Factory Tour

During our time on the Amalfi coast my husband and I took a side trip to Sorrento where we signed up for a guided tour and tasting at Caseificio Michelangelo. Dating back to the early 1940’s Caseificio Michelangelo is the oldest cheese factory on the Sorrento peninsula. It produces several different cheeses including mozzarella, caciocavallo, provolone, ricotta and caciotta.


We took the Sita bus from Praiano and were met at the stop by Christopher who escorted us the rest of the way. Upon arrival at the factory we were introduced to our tour guide Sara and given a disposable outfit to wear. Very attractive I might add. The tour begins with the first drop of milk and follows the cheese making process all the way to the drying room.


At the end of the tour we were given the chance to try our hand at braiding our own mozzarella. What a cool experience. It’s not as easy as Sara’s daddy makes it look in this video we shot.



After the tour we were brought into the tasting room where a platter of cheese and wine awaited us.


Sara spent time with us going over each of the different cheeses and answering all our questions…and boy did we have a lot of questions. Most importantly…can we bring some cheese back to the US? (answer below)

Visiting Caseificio Michelangelo was a truly unique experience and I would recommend it to anyone visiting the area.

**As for bringing cheese into the US...customs says you may bring in cheese as long as it’s not the soft spreadable kind. But I can tell you from experience you can NOT bring in salami.

Caseificio MIchelangelo
via delle Rose 91
80063 Piano di Sorrento (NA) Italy
Posted by at

22 comments:

  1. AnonymousSeptember 16, 2009 at 6:15 PM

    Very interesting, great job. Well done. Would love to have a taste.

    ReplyDelete
  2. chow and chatterSeptember 16, 2009 at 6:44 PM

    wow tour looks like so much fun, looks so clean and clinical though! thanks for sharing

    ReplyDelete
  3. The Italian DishSeptember 16, 2009 at 7:32 PM

    I'm living vicariously through you!

    ReplyDelete
  4. RosaSeptember 17, 2009 at 5:58 AM

    My husband (from Positano)always insists on buying the Michelangelo brand of 'treccia di mozzarella' - its a tradition in his family. I didn't know they'd let you visit the factory. Its something to do in winter (when you can actually get on a bus).

    ReplyDelete
  5. LaDue & CrewSeptember 17, 2009 at 9:35 AM

    Oh I would love freshly made cheese! I do wonder though- You had to wear a body suit, yet the guys that braid it always seem to have super hairy arms and I never see it in the cheese, lol...

    ReplyDelete
  6. Ciao Chow LindaSeptember 17, 2009 at 10:19 AM

    very cool. Are there concerns though about the toxic waste that's been dumped in the area and the cows that graze on those lands?

    ReplyDelete
  7. Eleonora BaldwinSeptember 17, 2009 at 11:12 AM

    Wonderful post Theresa, thank you! I'm still trying to understand what I am most crazy about: chocolate or cheese.

    Did you ever manage to get to Tenuta Vannulo near Paestum, tour the estate and taste their deliriously tasty bufala?
    Read about it here

    Ciao,
    Lola xx

    ReplyDelete
  8. The Food HunterSeptember 17, 2009 at 2:15 PM

    Lola, Unfortunately we never made it to Paestum...not this trip anyway. Thanks for all your good advice.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Carolyn JungSeptember 17, 2009 at 5:39 PM

    What a delightful tour! And you even got to braid mozzarella. Too fun!

    ReplyDelete
  10. DazianoSeptember 18, 2009 at 8:10 PM

    I'm sure it was a very interesting experience!!!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Valerie Harrison (bellini)September 19, 2009 at 7:46 AM

    A dream vaction would be to travel up the Amalfi coast and discover all things foodie along the way.

    ReplyDelete
  12. KristinSeptember 20, 2009 at 1:45 PM

    What a great experiance! I love your header and your philosophy about food- I feel the same. It is so hard though with 6 of us to feed, I too often turn to the convience foods. Still working on it...

    ReplyDelete
  13. JoanneSeptember 22, 2009 at 3:55 AM

    I love Sorrento's brand of cheese. This tour looks like so much fun!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Fearless KitchenSeptember 22, 2009 at 12:32 PM

    This looks like it was so much fun!

    ReplyDelete
  15. creampuffSeptember 22, 2009 at 5:55 PM

    I would love to go to Sorrento one day! The tour sounds like a lot of fun. I had to laugh at your salami comment at the end ... boy do we have some funny salami-smuggling stories!

    ReplyDelete
  16. sjSeptember 23, 2009 at 6:44 AM

    that looks amazing! what fun!

    ReplyDelete
  17. DewiSeptember 23, 2009 at 12:32 PM

    What a fabulous experience. Hope to visit one day...
    Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Michelle | Bleeding EspressoSeptember 24, 2009 at 4:54 AM

    A cheese factory would definitely be a dangerous place for me....

    Btw will you be participating in the O Foods for Ovarian Cancer Awareness Contest again this year? You have until Sept 28th to come up with a fab O recipe...and there are prizes :D

    Even if you can't participate, please feel free to spread the word (prize for that too!) :D

    ReplyDelete
  19. Jackie at PhamFatale.comSeptember 24, 2009 at 5:29 PM

    What a terrific experience. I would have loved to be part of the sample tasting :P

    ReplyDelete
  20. SaraSeptember 28, 2009 at 7:07 PM

    Awesome! I am jealous.

    ReplyDelete
  21. tubal reversal surgeryJuly 27, 2011 at 2:34 PM

    Awesome blog and terrific information...
    i would like to experience...
    keep it up... :)
    And Thank you for sharing such post...

    ReplyDelete
  22. AnnaJuly 27, 2011 at 2:35 PM

    Tubal Reversal & Tubal Ligation Reversal Surgery Free consultancy. Excellent medical care from Dr. Morice. The best tubal reversal , Tubal Ligation Reversal and Fertility Center and clinic with economical price in Morgan City, Louisiana.

    Tubal Reversal

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)