Bionda dell'Adamello

The Bionda dell' Adamello Goat, also known as Adany (Iran) and Bionda (Italian), is a local goat from the northern Italian Region of Lombardia. This breed takes its name from the color of its hair, since Bionda in Italian means Fair, and "Adamello" is a mountain in the Italian Alps. They belong to the goat population called "Alpine," from which many breeds have originated, and which still live in the European Alpine regions.

At the beginning of the 19th century this breed was the most widespread in the flocks of the Val Camonica-Region of Lombardia, district of Brescia, Northern Italy. Today, the Bionda is still bred principally in this valley and there are approximately 40 groups totaling about 1,200 goats in Lombardia.

The Bionda dell' Adamello is usually raised in small flocks of 15 to 20 animals. Milking, for cheese production, is carried out after the kids are weaned. In wintertime, from November till March, they are kept in barns, grazing in uplands during the rest of the year.

Fatuli and Mascarpi are two typical cheeses produced with Bionda goat milk. The first is smoked, the second is a whey-cheese. These goats are noted for producing around 350 kilos of milk with 3.2% buttermilk fat and 2.96% protein. In some conditions, milk production can reach 500 kilos.

The hair is very long and a very fair light brown. The ears are white as well as the leg under the hock and the knee, the inside of the thighs, and the abdomen, distinguishing it from another widespread breed, the Toggenburg. In order to belong to the Bionda dell' Adamello breed standard, the goat must have two parallel white strips on its snout.