The places of origin of Montasio
Montasio was born here, from the entrepreneurial genius of an anonymous 13th century Benedictine monk. St. Gallen Abbey – today a cloistered monastery – was founded in 1085 by the Patriarch of Aquileia Frederick of Moravia.
In a short time he assumed spiritual and temporal control over vast territories, acquiring more than a hundred landed estates. The entire territory of the Montasio past ures all the way to Carinthia was the prerogative of the Abbey: an area characterized by beautiful pastures and that based part of its wealth on livestock farming.
The present monastery of the Poor Clares dates back to 1761, and of the original Gothic church only the baptistery and the bell tower remain today.
To tell the truth, in the popular belief, throughout the Friulian Alps it is said that it was the Wild Man (the Omm salvadi, a scarecrow for many children in the past) called Silvà n who taught the valley dwellers how to process milk, while in the valleys of the Torre torrent this task is also attributed to the Wild Woman of the Museni, inhabitants of the Musi valley. All places rich in pastures feud of the Abbey of Moggio Udinese.
Whatever your favourite legend, one fixed point remains: the Montasio plateau, overlooked by the Jôf di Montasio, which at 2754 metres high is the second highest peak in the region.
If a trip to Malga Montasio is not in your plans you can console yourself with two webcams always active:
http://bit.ly/2XFZXwR and http://bit.ly/2DacTBs
All the flavours of these places can be found intact in our cheeses, which we produce following the ancient rules of Latte Fieno, today certified STG.