Gorgonzola is the birthplace of blue cheese with a distinctive smell. According to legend, it all began with a love story. A dairy worker in 879 AD was so eager to meet his lover that he forgot to finish his work and left the cheese pot outside. Instead of throwing away the almost rotten curd the next morning, he added a fresh layer on top. Between them, two veins of mold appeared, which resembled parsley.
In Lombardy and Piedmont Gorgonzola spread steadily. Thus, the area defined by the Decrees of 1955 and 1977 was already established as an area of production and maturation of Gorgonzola cheese, whose designation was at that point protected.