I headed to the picturesque Lakes District of northern Piedmont to pay a visit to Guffanti Formaggi – a family of dedicated cheese lovers and affineurs with a passion for regional Italian cheese.

In part 1 of this series, affineur and cheese-whisperer Carlo Guffanti shows us the traditional way to ‘break’ a wheel of Trentingrana cheese (a kind of parmesan-style), while his son Giovani gives me a tour of their underground maturation caves and shares a few tips on the art of affinage (cheese maturation).

Check out part 2 for more at Guffanti Formaggi and – if you are really into cheese – the extended scene of Carlo breaking the parmesan, one of our most popular vids!