The Capra Facciuta della Valnerina, a rare goat breed distinguished by two signature white stripes on its face, has been brought back from the brink of extinction in Italy’s Sibillini Mountains.
Today, breeder Giovanni Paris manages a growing herd of these animals, reviving a unique genetic line of the central Apennines.
For decades, this rustic breed faced near-total disappearance as agricultural trends shifted toward high-production industrial dairy breeds. The Facciuta, once common across Umbria, Marche, and Abruzzo, saw its numbers dwindle as local families prioritized cross-breeding to maximize milk yields. As Giovanni Paris told CiboToday, the process of recovery began by identifying and isolating the purest genetic lines remaining in the region.
The breed is now listed in the Slow Food Arca del Gusto, an international initiative dedicated to protecting biological and cultural heritage. Estimates suggest there are currently only 200 to 300 individuals distributed across the provinces of Macerata, Perugia, and Terni.
“As with all dairy breeds, it was increasingly cross-bred,” Paris told CiboToday. “Very few remained, especially in Umbria. From there, we began to select the purest line.”
The breed is physically suited for rugged terrain, possessing strong limbs and a hardy constitution that allows it to thrive on spontaneous vegetation in high-altitude pastures where other breeds struggle. This natural hardiness, however, was historically a disadvantage in more controlled, lowland farming environments that demanded higher stocking densities.
Paris, who joined his family’s agricultural business in 2009 and took full ownership in 2017, now manages the herd across 3,000 hectares of mountain territory in Vallestretta di Ussita. The animals live in a semi-wild state, spending roughly eight months of the year at high altitude.
| Metric | Context |
|---|---|
| Estimated Population | 200–300 specimens |
| Primary Region | Valnerina and Camerinese (Apennines) |
| Management System | Extensive/Wild grazing |
| Heritage Status | Slow Food Arca del Gusto |
The meat is currently supplied to local establishments, such as Rifugio Casale and Rifugio del Faragno, marking a transition from historical subsistence use to modern culinary appreciation.
The project faces ongoing logistical challenges. The infrastructure of the farm was impacted by seismic activity in the region, and Paris is currently working to establish an on-site dairy laboratory to diversify production into specialized cheeses. This expansion is intended to capture the unique aromatic qualities of the mountain herbs consumed by the herd.
“We are breeders in the old-fashioned way,” Paris told CiboToday. “We like that these animals grow well and that the final product truly tells the story of the place it comes from.”
“We wanted a truly mountain product, made only of what the animals find in the Sibillini,” Paris told CiboToday.
