Experience Sardinian Pecorino Cheese Making with Conrad Chia Laguna Sardinia

International

Guests staying at Conrad Chia Laguna Sardinia can now enjoy a unique cultural and culinary adventure: learning how traditional Sardinian pecorino cheese is made in the heart of the island’s ancient forests.

This hands-on experience takes visitors high into the holm oak woodlands of Sardinia—part of one of the largest UNESCO-protected forest regions in the Mediterranean—where they meet Roberto Casula, a third-generation shepherd from Desulo. Casula began milking sheep and making cheese at the age of 16, continuing a long family tradition: “I’m following in the footsteps of my grandfather and father,” he explains. “Managing a flock is not just about milking—there’s breeding, feeding, caring. It’s a life.”

Casula’s 4x4 Cheese Experience is offered in partnership with the resort. Guests are picked up at the hotel and driven by Land Rover into the mountains, 2,000 feet above sea level. At Casula’s farm, which is home to 300 West Sardinian Black Sheep (Nera di Arbus), guests witness the cheese-making process from start to finish. Using fresh sheep’s milk collected that morning, Casula adds renic, a natural binding agent, and slowly heats the milk to 38°C. As it thickens and curdles, he stirs the mixture by hand, forms two cheese wheels, and drains them—producing around five pounds of fresh pecorino in just 30 minutes.

Afterward, guests gather at rustic picnic tables to taste the freshly made cheese, served alongside traditional Carasau bread, Sardinian sausages, olives, local wine, and other regional delicacies.

Casula, who began sharing his craft simply for the joy of it, says he’s now welcomed food lovers from around the globe: “I enjoy being surrounded by so many kind people. I share our product, our pastoral culture, and the story of Sardinia through cheese. They come from Brazil, the U.S., Spain, Asia… everywhere.”