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According to some historians, cattle breeding was introduced in the Alpine valleys by the Celtics, who ventured as far as the Alps, after being driven out of the Pianura Padana by the Romans. Here they found safe shelter and discovered a rich natural pastureland. They decided to take advantage of it and devoted themselves to cattle breeding. The word "Bitto" has Celtic origins as well: it derives from the word "bitu", meaning perennial, eternal.
The unsteadiness of communication routes at the time forced the main part of the population down into the valleys. Only few herdsmen reached the pastures at higher altitude and led their cattle there. These first herdsmen had to face another big problem: how could milk, their main product, be preserved and carried down to valley? Their solution, which might sound obvious nowadays, consisted in the transformation of milk into cheese. As they perfectly knew how to use curd, it was quite easy for them to direct their efforts and experience to the production of long-life cheese. Bitto cheese is the best among their results. At present, Bitto "Valli del Bitto" is the only cheese in the world which can ripen for more than 10 years. This tradition and this ancient manufacturing process have been handed down throughout the ages from generation to generation with wisdom and far-sightedness and continue to exist and to be supported by our association. Still nowadays those valleys radiate that special atmosphere we continue to enjoy and offer the signs and symbols of a pastoral world in its most authentic and traditional traits. Here one can find the simple and natural environment which is peculiar to mountain life, to a rural area deeply rooted in its local culture. Cattle breeding and the production of refined cheese are the heart of this system, representing both its cause and effect.