We have new arrivals! New baby cinta senese piglets were born yesterday and they are doing well.

We keep a small population of cinta senese at Villa Lena because they are cute but also they make very nice prosciutto down the line. The Cinta Senese is a breed of domestic pigs from Sienna, Tuscany, hence the name. They actually have the coveted DOP status, which means Denominazione di Origine Protetta (literally “Protected Designation of Origin”) – so just like the champagne, they can only come from certified geographical regions. The pigs have characteristic black short fur with white stripe running through just off the shoulders. Locals say their roots come from wild boar, hence their size and hard wearing fur.

In fact, these pigs are rare. After Second World War their population fell almost to extinction levels and to this day remains very low. So, we are not in the hurry to eat them yet!