5. Light

Illuminated by sunbeams filtered through the leaves of the surrounding forest trees, the wise elder, portrayed by Tziu Antoni, dressed in black velvet, sits outside his sheepfold, engaged in one of the most emblematic activities associated with the agropastoral world: cheese production.

It is through this very activity that Loculi rose to international prominence, achieving the Guinness World Record for the largest sheep’s milk cheese ever produced in the world.

Named Il Gigante del Cedrino (The Giant of Cedrino), this cheese wheel, weighing 598.5 kilograms, with a diameter of 165 centimeters, a height of 60 centimeters, and a maturation period of 12 months, was officially certified by the Guinness World Record Commission and Judge Lorenzo Veltri as The largest cheese – sheep’s milk on July 19, 2020.

Il Gigante del Cedrino surpassed the previous ten-year world record held by another Italian pecorino, hailing from Ascoli Piceno.

To transform the milk into cheese, fifty shepherds were involved, including five municipalities from the lower Baronia region: Onifai, Loculi, Orosei, Irgoli, and Galtellì. They were led by master cheese makers Pietro Deledda and Luigi Costa, along with the cooperative members of “La Rinascita” in Onifai, who managed the production.

The journey towards the record for this pecorino started on May 12, 2019, with 4,500 liters of sheep’s milk, 25 kg of salt, 700 ml of rennet, and 200 grams of lactic ferments.

On the day of the record certification, Loculi hosted a grand celebration in which Il Gigante was offered for tasting and sold online at a cost of 5 Euros per piece (500 grams). This achievement, led by Mayor Alessandro Luche and supported by the Municipality of Loculi, was the culmination of years of experimentation. It provided an opportunity to highlight the driving force and economic engine of the local and regional economy: pastoralism.

According to data from Coldiretti, Sardinia is home to nearly 50% of the sheep in Italy, with around 12 thousand shepherds and three pecorino cheeses recognized by the European Union with Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) status: Romano, Fiore sardo, and Sardo, along with an IGP designation for Sardinian lamb.