Bitto dates back to the times when the Celts were expelled by the Romans from the plains of Italy and took refuge in Valtellina. The name Bitto is a relative of the Celtic word bitu which means "perennial." 
       The cheese is made from whole cow's milk to which some goat's milk, though no more than ten per cent of the total volume, may be added. Bitto is a cylindrical, semi-cooked, semi-hard cheese with a straw-yellow rind and a paste that varies in colour from white to straw-yellow depending on how long it has been aged. The paste is sparsely pitted with partridge-eye holes. 
       The taste is sweet and delicate and becomes stronger as the ripening period is lengthened. The addition of goat's milk accentuates the distinctive aroma of Bitto.

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