What is Picinisco known for?

Raw-milk sheep cheese with DOP status since 2013, made on the Mainarde pastures above the village. Together with Barga, the main source of Italian emigration to Scotland from the 1880s through the 20th century. Stayed above the village in 1919 and used Picinisco as the setting for the final chapters of The Lost Girl.

Picinisco is a comune in the province of Frosinone, Lazio region of Italy, about 137 kilometers from Napoli.

Lazio · Frosinone

Picinisco

A medieval village at 725 meters above the Val di Comino, the source of much of Italo-Scottish emigration and of Pecorino di Picinisco DOP.

725m

Elevation

137 km / 85 mi

Nearest hub (Napoli)

1,098

Population

May–Oct

Best time to visit

Recognised as

Why come

Picinisco sits at 725 meters on a fortified spur on the eastern edge of Lazio, inside the Parco Nazionale d'Abruzzo, Lazio e Molise, looking down on the Val di Comino. It is one of the two villages, together with Barga in Tuscany, that account for an estimated 60 percent of Scots-Italians: the immigration to Glasgow and Edinburgh began in the 1880s and turned into a near-permanent corridor through the 20th century. D.H. Lawrence stayed in a country house above the village in 1919 and used Picinisco for the closing chapters of The Lost Girl. The food still defines the place: Pecorino di Picinisco DOP, made from raw sheep milk on the surrounding pastures, and Maturano, a white indigenous to the valley and almost extinct before the I Ciacca winery, founded by returning Scots-Italians, restarted it. The medieval centro storico climbs from the lower square up toward the castle ruins.

The slow-trip planner

Building a trip? Find where Picinisco fits in a slow Italy circuit.

Answer five questions. We will shape a geographically coherent slow trip from the 1,000 Italian towns most travelers skip. Yours to save and share.

Plan your trip

Gallery

5 photos · scroll →

Known for

Castello medievale
Ruined medieval castle on the highest point of the village, built to control the eastern access to the Val di Comino.
Centro storico
Fortified medieval village at 725 meters, narrow stone streets climbing from the lower piazza toward the castle.
Chiesa di San Lorenzo
Parish church in the upper village, baroque interior on medieval foundations.
Parco Nazionale d'Abruzzo, Lazio e Molise
Italy's second-oldest national park, with trails leading from the village into the Mainarde range and toward Forca d'Acero.
Pastures of Prati di Mezzo
High summer pastures above the village at 1,500 meters, the source area for Pecorino di Picinisco DOP.

When to visit

Best months · May–Oct

Best
Hot or crowded
Quiet
Mostly closed

May through October is the open season at 725 meters: trails into the national park clear of snow, pastures in production, and the village restaurants serving pecorino with Maturano. June through August stays cool here even when the Lazio coast hits the mid-thirties, the altitude keeping nights in the teens. September and October are the most rewarding months for hikers: the beech woods of Forca d'Acero turn through every shade of red. November through April is quiet and frequently snowed in. Many guesthouses close for winter. The high pastures of Prati di Mezzo, the source of the pecorino, are only reachable on foot or by tractor track from June onward.