We feel visitors to Italy should always spend at least an afternoon in a local supermarket during their stay.

You may, if you're lucky, come across Taleggio DOP.

This incredibly pungent creamy cheese originates from the Taleggio Valley. It is the classic smelly socks cheese but that shouldn't put you off purchasing a sample.

Also known as the 'stracchino di Milano', Taleggio was first made in the 10th century AD.

Today, production extends to all the pre-Alpine Lombardia area and includes Brescia, Bergamo, Como, Pavia and Milano.

The version we recently bought was from Treviso in Veneto which is also permitted to display the 'marchio' of origin.

The Consorzio per la Tutela del Taleggio is the central body which controls production and promotes the cheese and their terriitory of influence includes Lombardia (province of Bergamo, Brescia, Como, Cremona, Lecco , Lodi, Milano, Pavia), Piemonte (province of Novara) e Veneto (province di Treviso)

Made from cows' milk, the cheese is matured for 40 days producing a soft, almost wobbly texture.

It comes with a light brown crust complete with flecks of green mold. Inside, however, the cheese is sweet and aromatic to say the least.

That's our take on it. The Consorzio offer a more accurate description:

"The rind is thin, of soft consistence and its colour is natural rose, with presence of characteristic grey and green light sage colour mould. The paste is uniformly compact, softer under the rind and at the end of seasoning, friable to its centre. The paste colour changes from white to pale yellow, with some small circles. The taste is sweet, with light acidulous vein, slightly aromatic, sometimes with truffle aftertaste; the odour is characteristic."