Prosciuttificio Prolongo

San Daniele del Friuli is the finest town in central Friuli. Perched on a glacial hill by the Tagliamento river, at the foot of the Carnic pre-Alps, it enjoys a unique topoclimate: warm breezes rising from the Adriatic meet the cooler alpine winds channelled through a long narrow valley. Impeccable ventilation and controlled humidity have made this place, since antiquity, a natural cradle for air-dried ham.

It is here, in 1957, that Giovanni Prolongo — supported by his wife Caterina Bortolotti — founded the Prosciuttificio Prolongo. His vision was already clear: to produce a prosciutto of the highest quality, only according to traditional methods, in step with the natural cycle of the seasons.

In 1962, his son Lucio joined the house and brought further refinements to the ancestral techniques. In 2000, Alessio — third generation — took the reins, focusing on the raw material, working hand in hand with the farmers to painstakingly select premium pork legs.

Prosciutto Prolongo has been awarded the prestigious **3 slices** in the Gambero Rosso *Grandi Salumi* guide, described as "close to perfection, with great gustatory and aromatic impact". Two signatures embody the house: Brezza di Mare, drawing its finesse from the sea breezes of the Adriatic, and Brezza di Monte, marked by alpine winds — two readings of one and the same DOP terroir.