The Nero Siciliano is an Italian breed of domestic pig from the Mediterranean island of Sicily, in southern Italy. It is raised mainly in the province of Messina, particularly in the Monti Nebrodi, and so is often known as the . It may also be called or , for its association with the Madonie mountains and mount Etna respectively. It is one of the six autochthonous pig breeds recognised by the Ministero delle Politiche Agricole Alimentari e Forestali, the Italian ministry of agriculture and forestry.
History
The Nero Siciliano is a traditional breed of the island of Sicily, and the only extant pig breed of the island; all others – among them the Calascibetta, the Di Castelbuono, the Cesarotana, the Patornese, the Sant'Agata di Militello, the Trapanese and the Di Troina (all of which were black) – have either become extinct, many of them as a result of the widespread deforestation of the island in the nineteenth century, or have been merged into the Nero Siciliano. The Nero Siciliano was formerly found in many parts of the island; in the twenty-first century it is reared almost exclusively in the forested mountains of northern Sicily – the Monti Nebrodi in the province of Messina and the Madonie in the Metropolitan City of Palermo.
A herdbook was established in 2001, and is kept by the Associazione Nazionale Allevatori Suini, the Italian national association of pig breeders. At the end of 2012 there were pigs registered. A total population of was reported for 2023, with 505 registered breeding sows and 136 registered boars; in 2025 the conservation status of the breed was listed in DAD-IS as "at risk/endangered-maintained".
Characteristics
The Nero Siciliano is black, with a dorsal ridge of stiff hairs some long; some white markings to the face only are tolerated. The skin is pigmented a slaty black. Average body weights are for sows and some more for boars.
Use
The Nero Siciliano is commonly reared under a semi-feral system of management, foraging freely in the woodlands of the mountains; in some cases, simple shelters may be provided for farrowing and suckling sows, and some supplementary food may be provided.
The pigs are raised both for fresh meat and for salumi. Animals for direct consumption are usually slaughtered at 6–7 months, at a weight of , while those for the production of preserved meats are usually slaughtered at 10–11 months, when they weigh . The principal salumi are the Salame Sant'Angelo, which has IGP status, and Prosciutto di Suino Nero dei Nebrodi; capocollo, guanciale, and coppa are also produced.
References Norme tecniche del Libro Genealogico e del Registro Anagrafico della specie suina: Allegato 1 a D.M. 11255 del 13 June 2013 (in Italian). Ministero delle Politiche Agricole Alimentari e Forestali. Archived 8 November 2011.
Andrea Cristini, et al. (23 June 2013). Relazione del comitato direttivo alla assemblea generale dei soci (in Italian). Rome: Associazione Nazionale Allevatori Suini. Archived 7 May 2014.
Barbara Rischkowsky, Dafydd Pilling (editors) (2007). List of breeds documented in the Global Databank for Animal Genetic Resources, annex to: The State of the World's Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. Rome: Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. . Archived 23 June 2020.
Daniele Bigi, Alessio Zanon (2008). Atlante delle razze autoctone: Bovini, equini, ovicaprini, suini allevati in Italia (in Italian). Milan: Edagricole. .
Valerie Porter, Lawrence Alderson, Stephen J.G. Hall, D. Phillip Sponenberg (2016). Mason's World Encyclopedia of Livestock Breeds and Breeding (sixth edition). Wallingford: CABI. .
Breed data sheet: Nero Siciliano / Italy (Pig). Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed July 2025.
Strutture Zootecniche (Dec. 2009/712/CE - Allegato 2 - Capitolo 2) (in Italian). Ministero delle Politiche Agricole Alimentari e Forestali. Section I (e). Archived 4 May 2014.
Luigi Liotta (n.d.). Il Suino Nero Siciliano (in Italian). Associazione Italiana Razze Autoctone a Rischio di Estinzione. Archived 7 November 2014.