Cinta Senese
Also known as: Siena belted pig, Cinta Senese PDO, Cinta pig, Sienese belted pig, Cinta Senese pork, Tuscan belted pig
Cinta Senese (Siena belted pig) is a Tuscan black pig with a white band round the shoulders and a PDO for fresh meat from pigs born, raised and slaughtered in Tuscany; Finocchiona PGI may be made from its meat.
Cinta Senese (the Siena belted pig) is a Tuscan black pig with a white band around its shoulders and a protected designation of origin, PDO, for fresh meat. The name covers all edible parts of pigs born, raised and slaughtered in Tuscany. Finocchiona PGI may be made from its meat.
The pig is black in skin and bristle, with a continuous white band round the trunk at the shoulders that takes in the forelegs. It comes from the hills of Montagnola senese and Montemaggio. A pig with similar markings appears in Ambrogio Lorenzetti's fresco of 1338–1339 in the Palazzo Pubblico of Siena, and a treatise of 1571 describes its meat being turned into cured products.
The breed nearly disappeared. The herd book was closed in the 1970s, when only a little over forty animals were left. A section of the herd book was approved in 1997, and in 1998 there were 38 farms in the register. A consortium now protects the breed and its products.
The PDO was registered by Regulation (EU) 217/2012 of 13 March 2012. The specification covers Tuscany up to 1,200 m above sea level. Pigs must be born, raised and slaughtered there, come from breeders listed in the breed's herd book and carry an ear tag with a code. From the fourth month of life they live outdoors or semi-outdoors on plots, fenced or not, with a shelter. The maximum is 1,500 kg of live weight per hectare. Feed comes mainly from pasture in woods or on sown plots, and pigs are slaughtered at 12 months or older, according to the consortium.
In 2026 the ministry changed the specification for 12 months because of African swine fever: pigs must live on fenced plots or, where there are no fences, indoors, and slaughter may take place outside Tuscany while the biosecurity measures last.
Cinta Senese in cured meats: Finocchiona PGI, registered by Regulation (EU) 2015/629, may be made in Tuscany from heavy pigs to PDO standards or from Cinta Senese meat. So a Finocchiona does not have to contain Cinta Senese.
How to recognise it on a label: look for "Cinta Senese DOP" and the PDO symbol. "Cinta Senese" alone, or a picture of a belted pig, does not prove the DOP.
Related: Pig, Italians, Finocchiona, Curing of meat.
Facts
| Animal | Pig, Cinta Senese breed: black with a white band at the shoulders |
|---|---|
| Country | Italy |
| Region | Tuscany, up to 1,200 m above sea level |
| Registered | PDO, Reg. (EU) 217/2012 of 13.03.2012 |
| Raw material | Fresh meat, all edible parts of the carcass |
| Duration | Slaughter at 12 months or older |
How it connects to Cured meats & charcuterie
Cinta Senese → similar → 🐖 Pig ← made from ← 🥓 Salo → kind of → 🥓 Cured meats & charcuterie
Links
- Which peoples keep it
- 🧑🤝🧑 Italians
- Similar and different
- 🐖 Pig, Finocchiona
Frequently asked questions
What does the Cinta Senese PDO cover?
All edible parts of pigs born, raised and slaughtered in Tuscany, up to 1,200 m above sea level. The name protects the fresh meat of the breed itself, not only the cured products made from it.
How are Cinta Senese pigs raised?
Outdoors or semi-outdoors from the fourth month of life, on plots with a shelter, at no more than 1,500 kg of live weight per hectare. Feed is mainly pasture in woods or on sown plots.
Is Finocchiona always made from Cinta Senese?
No. Finocchiona PGI, registered by Regulation (EU) 2015/629, may be made in Tuscany from heavy pigs to PDO standards or from Cinta Senese. Cinta Senese is one of two permitted routes.
How close was Cinta Senese to extinction?
The herd book was closed in the 1970s, when only a little over forty animals remained. A consortium and a reopened section of the herd book later brought the breed back.
What changed for Cinta Senese in 2026?
A ministry decree temporarily changed the specification for 12 months because of swine fever: fenced plots or housing, and slaughter allowed outside Tuscany while the biosecurity measures last.
Similar
Sources
- MASAF decree 29/07/2026 (temporary modification of the Cinta Senese PDO specification, quoting arts. 1 and 5)
- IFCQ control plan PC-CS Rev. 1 (24.9.2020), Cinta Senese DOP
- Implementing Regulation (EU) 2015/629 — Finocchiona (PGI)
- Merlo G., Cinta Senese DOP (ViniPlus 27, AIS Lombardia)
- 3tres3 — Finocchiona IGP approved by the EU (2015)