Distraught Parmesan producers scramble to salvage their stock after Sunday's earthquake.
The tremor toppled many warehouses and cultural sites in the northern Emilia-Romagna region.
In the town of San Possidonio, the president of the local producers' cooperative said the damage was extensive.
(SOUNDBITE) (Italian) PRESIDENT OF THE SAN POSSIDONIO PRODUCERS COOPERATIVE, LUCIANO DOTTI:
"I had 43,000 wheels of Parmesan. Everything had collapsed and about 50 percent of it has been ruined."
In total around 300,000 wheels of Parmesan were damaged when they fell off shelves in warehouses as they were undergoing the two-year-long seasoning process.
About 10 percent of Parmesan production was affected by the quake.
Simon Hanna, Reuters
