It’s the meadows on the slopes of the Stura Valley, the dawn before the sun peeks over the horizon, the comforting smell of milk and the first sign of the curds coming. These are the moments of every day which over time became daily reality, custom and, centuries later, the Fiandino family’s history and values. It’s a farming business, and there’s no forgetting its origins in the eighteenth century when Stefano Fiandino left Milano for the mountains of the Occitan Alps, and here established the family’s first herd of Bruna Italiana cows. In the mountain pastures of the Stura, the cattle found their home and the Fiandinos learned from nature, which taught them the hows and whens of the land and its cheese production. Producing great milk, making excellent butter and cheese, understanding the cycle of life and taking guidance from the seasons were the secrets they passed on to subsequent generations, along with a love for a job that requires enormous sacrifice but brings a very special satisfaction. Living with nature became so deeply rooted in the Fiandinos that it became a family philosophy and, as such, the reasoning behind all their future decisions. So much so that in 1920 Magno Fiandino decided to refurbish his cheese business, expand and give it a home in the place known today as Fattorie Fiandino in Villafalletto. Villafalletto was not a casual choice of location: this area is sheltered on two sides by the Alps and to the east by the hills of the Langhe, while a kind of “wind barrier” from the Susa Valley protects it from cold, damp air coming from the north. What’s more, the altitude of more than 400 metres above sea level, the very low constant humidity and the cool temperatures make optimum conditions for the production of superior quality milk and the perfect ageing of cheeses. Alongside a herd of two hundred Bruna Italiana cows, there’s a controlled production chain from other dairy farms in the province of Cuneo, and a genuine “hamlet” where qualified staff take care of the animals and where Egidio and Mario Fiandino continue their traditional activity and - more than ever - head into the future in new directions and with a production philosophy geared to wellbeing.