AN ANCIENT BREED OF PIG
About the Cinta Senese
The Cinta Senese is an ancient breed of pig originally from Tuscany, characterised by a dark coat with a white band around its body in line with its front legs.
It is an animal that lives in complete freedom for at least a year in its natural habitat. The animals have plenty of land at their disposal to ensure the highest possible well-being and the necessary balanced diet.
The Cinta Senese is the only native Italian breed of pig to boast a Protected Designation of Origin (D.O.P) for its meat. This certification has been held since 2012.
The Consorzio di Tutela della Cinta Senese DOP (Consortium for the Protection of the Cinta Senese PDO) has been active since 2000. Its aim is to safeguard, promote and protect the breed, taking care of all aspects related to the Protected Designation of Origin.
FROM THE ETRUSCANS TO THE PRESENT DAY
A thousand years of history
Did you know that the Cinta Senese has been bred in Tuscany for over 1000 years?
Already bred by the Etruscans, it followed the Romans in their migrations and was of great help to farmers in the Middle Ages, during plagues and famines.
One of the earliest and most famous testimonies of its presence is the depiction in Ambrogio Lorenzetti’s fresco entitled “Effetti del Buon Governo – La campagna ben governata” on display at Palazzo Comunale in Siena, dating back to 1338.
Free-range pig farming became so important to the economy of the time that, at the end of the 17th century, those who did not own woods, and were forced to rent them, had to pay the ghiandiatico, a tax on the acorns harvested or consumed by the herd, or assign the decima porcorum, which consisted in giving the owner of the land a tenth of the pigs.
TERRITORY OF ORIGIN
Made in Tuscany
The woods on the Siena hills have always been an ideal territory for free-range pig farming: large forests populated by oaks and chestnut trees, alternating with extensive grassy meadows.
The Cinta Senese originated and developed in this territory.
Its natural environment of origin is the Montagnola Senese, the hill area between what are now the Sienese municipalities of Monteriggioni, Sovicille, Casole d’Elsa and Siena.
Today, the Cinta Senese PDO production area comprises only the administrative territories of the Tuscan region.
CONTROLLED SUPPLY CHAIN
Sustainability
First and foremost: a life of well-being for our animals.
Our strong, robust CINTA SENESE pigs graze outdoors for over 12 months, until they weigh at least 150 kg.
A maximum of five to ten Cinta Senese pigs are raised per hectare of land, and not just any land, but the marvellous Sienese hills.
Respect for our land and its biodiversity, a natural diet and socialising as part of the herd are the cornerstones of our approach.
We are fully aware that, in order to produce high quality meat with high nutritional values, the diet of our pigs must be part of a controlled chain.
Consequently, the diet of our Cinta Senese pigs consists exclusively of meadow grass, woodland resources (roots, tubers, acorns…), supplemented by non-GMO Tuscan cereals: maize, barley and fava beans.
Our family personally oversees this important phase.
RESPECT FOR TRADITION
BREEDING
The livestock farms that are part of the RENIERI supply chain are all in the south of the province of Siena, in that wonderful area between the Val d’Elsa and Mount Amiata.
