ForMandi 2026 in Sutrio: mountain cheeses, cooking shows, and an auction of rare cheeses

Starting at 10 a.m., the town's streets and squares will host a trail of dairy products, Carnic cuisine specialties, craft beers, live music, and children's activities. Highlights will include the cooking demonstrations by chefs Stephan Zippl and Andrew Lunardi and the unusual mountain cheese auction, which will also feature rare and otherwise unobtainable aged cheeses.

A taste trail in the center of Sutrio

The day will begin at 10:00 a.m. with a tasting tour through the streets of the historic center. Local restaurants and trattorias will prepare dishes featuring mountain cheese, alternating traditional recipes with more personal interpretations.

There will be around ten food stops, accompanied by craft beers produced by small breweries in Friuli Venezia Giulia. This itinerary is designed to showcase cheese not just as a product to be tasted, but as an expression of the landscape, the work of the dairymen, and the culture of the Friulian mountains.

Starting in the morning, in the Ort dal sior Matie, Sutrio's open-air living room, approximately twenty mountain dairies from Carnia and other areas of the region will be present. Visitors will be able to meet the producers, taste their cheeses, and purchase their various dairy specialties directly.

The tastings will be accompanied by polenta prepared freshly in large copper pots by Carnic polenta makers. The village will also host a market selling artisanal and agricultural products, butter, yogurt, and other dairy products, as well as live music and entertainment for children.

Stephan Zippl and Andrew Lunardi's cooking shows

Among the most interesting events at ForMandi will be the cooking shows by two young mountain chefs, who will interpret mountain pasture products through contemporary cuisine.

The first guest will be Stephan Zippl, chef of the 1908 restaurant at the Parkhotel Holzner in South Tyrol. He will be joined by Andrew Lunardi, chef of the Lemelæ restaurant in Gallio, on the Asiago plateau.

After the demonstrations, there will be a tasting of the prepared dishes. Participation in the cooking shows is free, but seating is limited and reservations are required. Please call 0433 778921 or email [email protected].

The cheese auction with rare and mature forms

In the afternoon, starting at 4 pm, one of the most original moments of the event will take place: the auction of mountain cheeses, aimed especially at restaurateurs and operators in the tourism and hospitality sectors.

The auction will not only feature cheeses produced during the 2026 season. It will also be possible to win cheeses from previous vintages, which have been aged for longer, are particularly valuable and difficult to find through regular sales channels.

The initiative aims to create a direct link between the work carried out in the mountain pastures and the restaurant industry, showcasing cheeses that convey the characteristics of the different mountain pastures through their aromas, textures, and aging.

The mountain pastures, high-altitude sentinels

Around fifty mountain dairies are still active in the Carnia mountains. From late June to mid-September, following the traditional rhythms of mountain herding, the herdsmen lead their herds to the high-altitude pastures.

The herbs and flowers of the Alpine meadows contribute to giving the milk, butter, and cheeses aromas and flavors distinct from those of the valley floor. Many mountain dairies sell their products directly; in some, you can also taste traditional dishes, served outdoors or in small rooms heated by the fogolâr.

Mountain pastures, however, are more than just a tradition to be preserved. They are vibrant livestock farms, often family-run, that preserve biodiversity, contribute to land maintenance, and combat abandonment and hydrogeological instability.

The activity, concentrated in the approximately three summer months, can be considered a contemporary model of sustainability, capable of combining ecosystem protection, local economy, and social function. In a period marked by climate change and the depopulation of inland areas, maintaining the vitality of the mountain pasture network means investing in the future of the mountains.

A discussion on the future of mountain pastures and raw milk

ForMandi will also devote space to questions surrounding the economic and environmental survival of mountain dairies. The morning will feature a conference entitled "The Voice of the Alpine Dairies – A Discussion on Products, Economics, Tourism, Catering, and the Sustainability of Mountain Farms."

Institutions, healthcare representatives, experts, and mountain farmers will discuss the conditions necessary for mountain pastures to remain productive, economically sustainable, and capable of generating value through the connection between typical products, catering, and mountain tourism.

Particular attention will be paid to raw milk, the expression of a complex dairy culture that combines quality, food safety, and sustainability. The goal is to foster dialogue between producers, inspectors, researchers, and administrators, protecting consumers without weakening or overburdening the work of those who maintain the mountain pastures.

ForMandi also at the Barcolana and at Ein Prosit

The Sutrio event will be preceded by two events dedicated to discovering high-altitude cheeses.

On Thursday, October 8th, at 6:30 pm, ForMandi will be presented as part of the Barcolana regatta with the talk "When the Karst meets mountain cheeses." In the "Io sono Friuli Venezia Giulia" area of ​​Piazza Unità d'Italia, a tasting will be held, pairing high-altitude dairy products with Vitovska, the iconic wine of the Karst.

On Saturday, October 17th at 5:30 pm, the eve of the event, Ein Prosit will host a guided tasting of mountain cheeses.

ForMandi is organized by PromoTurismoFVG and the Pro Loco of Sutrio to promote awareness of regional dairy products and raise awareness of mountain dairies, places where tradition, environment, and the mountain economy continue to be closely linked.