"I’ve been doing this job 365 days a year for 40 years. I get up every day at 5:00 a.m. Do you know why? Passion reaps great results,” says Gino Fratucello, the 58-year-old head cheesemaker of Caseificio Rosola di Zocca. Founded in 1966 as an agricultural cooperative, it has six members today.

Fratucello speaks with patriotic pride, caressing the most exquisite variety of Parmigiano Reggiano, the one prepared with milk from the Vacca Bianca, a white-coated Modenese cow breed that produces a high-protein, low-fat product.