Sopravissana Sheep: What It Is, Uses and Where to Buy
The Sopravissana sheep (pecora sopravissana) is an Italian breed originating in Visso, in the province of Macerata, on the Tyrrhenian side of the Sibillini Mountains. It was born from crossing the local sheep known as vissana with Merino rams. It has a white fleece and is medium-sized. Today in the Park area it is raised mainly for lamb meat, but the breed also gives wool and milk. It is at risk of extinction, and for this reason is the subject of conservation initiatives.
Its name tells its story: it indicates both the area of origin, the upper Nera valley, and the "superior" quality of the animal compared with the original vissana. In the 18th and 19th centuries the breed spread with transhumance across much of central Italy. In the 20th century it was almost abandoned. Today some Sibillini breeders are bringing it back.
Sopravissana sheep: origin and characteristics
The Sopravissana is a medium-sized animal. Males weigh 60-70 kg and females 40-50 kg. The fleece is white. The head has a straight profile in females and a slightly convex (ram-like) one in males. Rams have sturdy spiral horns, while females are hornless.
It is a hardy sheep, shaped by the harsh environments of the Apennines. It adapts to mountains and cold climates, and also feeds on poor pastures, with thistles and thorns. It grazes by cutting the grass evenly, without pulling it up. For this reason it helps maintain native flora and the typical Apennine landscape.
Traditionally the breed is triple-purpose, giving wool, meat and milk. Milk yield is low, but the milk is rich and gives an excellent cheese yield. Those who know it describe the meat, of both lamb and adult animals, as flavorful, marbled, fragrant and aromatic. It is a prolific breed: in half of the flocks twin births occur. The wool comes from the Merino gene, which gives a finer fleece and is the basis of the yarns made today with Sopravissana wool.
The history of the Sopravissana sheep
On the pastures around Visso, Ussita and Castelsantangelo sul Nera the vissana was raised. It was a highly regarded Apennine sheep population, because it supplied meat to the city of Rome. In the 18th century Merino rams of the Rambouillet breed arrived, donated by the French court and distributed among the papal farms. They were sent to summer pastures in the Marche Apennines, in the areas of Visso, Ussita and Castelsantangelo. From those crosses with vissana ewes the Sopravissana was born. Pope Pius VI supported the operation with a law banning the slaughter of lambs, so they would serve to spread Merino blood among the transhumant sheep of the Papal States.
The name combines two meanings: the area of origin and the superior quality, from "super vissana" to "sopra vissana". In the upper Nera the breed was selected mainly in the flocks of the Piscini and Rosi families. With transhumance it spread to the Marche, Umbria, Lazio, Tuscany and Abruzzo. The first breed standard was approved by ministerial decree in the 1940s.
After the war the breed lost ground. There were about 1,200,000 head in 1960, falling to 765,000 in 1970. They were replaced by more productive breeds. Competition from foreign wool also played a part, making wool production unprofitable. The Sopravissana is small in build, so it produces little meat and little milk.
For about ten years, through long genetic research, some breeders have resumed selecting it. The breed is registered in the Herd Book (Libro Genealogico). After the earthquake that struck Visso, Sibillini breeders formed a network to relaunch it. Activities linked to the breed today range from breeding to wool, cheeses and cured meats.
How to enjoy Sopravissana sheep products
In the Park area the Sopravissana is raised mainly for lamb, a traditional star of Piceno cooking. Lambs are sold at 10-12 kg, at two or three months of age. Lamb meat also appears in fritto misto all'ascolana.
Cheeses are made from the milk. There is an aged pecorino made only with Sopravissana milk. Other versions combine sheep's milk with milk from Marchigiana cows, with truffle, chili pepper, mountain herbs or pepper added. Another cheese, the Pecorino delle Fate, is fresh, in wheels of about two kilos with a pale paste. It pairs well with slightly tart jams, such as blueberry or blackberry. Its curd is used to make ricotta ingrottata, which ages for about three months in cloths hung in caves or cellars.
Sheep meat is also used to make salamelle, salsicciotti (small sausages), lonza and prosciutto. These cured meats appeal to those who do not eat pork, for health or religious reasons. For other local cheeses, see the profile on Sibillini pecorino cheese.
Where to buy Sopravissana sheep products
The most direct way to get the products is to contact breeders in the Sibillini area. Farms raising the breed are in Visso and the upper Nera valley. Some farms on the edges of the Park, in Serravalle del Chienti and Amandola, raise Sopravissana sheep. The Sibillini National Park publishes a list of breeders. Before setting out, contact them to find out whether lamb, cheeses, cured meats or yarns are available, since production is limited.
The breed is also among those allowed for Agnello del Centro Italia IGP (Central Italy lamb). This meat is sold as whole carcasses, half carcasses, quarters, sixths, loins, in whole cuts or sliced. For other shopping in the area, see the page on Sibillini local food products.