Importing Italian Cheese & Processed Meats

I returned with aged Asiago cheese without question. I did declare. Wish I brought back more.

Meat is a different issue. Read:
https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/1272/~/food---general-food

The importation of fresh, dried or canned meats or meat products is
generally not allowed from most foreign countries into the United
States. This includes products that have been prepared with meat.

On cheese:
https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/3619/kw/can%20i%20bring%20cheese

Cheese - Solid cheese (hard or semi-soft, that does not contain meat);
butter, butter oil, and cultured milk products such as yogurt and sour
cream are not restricted. Feta cheese, Brie, Camembert, cheese in
brine, Mozzarella and Buffalo Mozzarella are permissible (USDA Animal
Product Manual, Table 3-14-6). Cheese in liquid (cottage cheese or
ricotta cheese) and cheese that pours like heavy cream are not
admissible from countries affected by foot-and-mouth disease (FMD).
Cheese containing meat is not admissible depending on the country of
origin.

Hi Roger,

Vacuum packed cheese seems to be okay. It's probably better to err on the side of caution and not risk bringing meats.

Olive oil okay in checked luggage. Bring sheets of bubble wrap and ziplock baggies to wrap it/them and put in between your clothes. Should make the journey okay.

If you are flagged, you will go to a US agricultural inspector and a lot depends on the inspector you get. . This happened to me twice at JFK and some were confiscated. One was Dutch tulip bulbs that were marked as OK for US but they lacked a required metal tag so I had been conned in Amsterdam. Another was for Greek honey which was approved after the inspector opened and tasted it!
Cheeses have been OK.

Thanks to all. I will definitely concenstrate on cheese and skip the meat. I do love Asiago so that will be for sure. Is it better to buy it in Venice since the better asiago comes from Veneto? Also planning on some Parmigiano Reggiano. We plan on visiting the Testaccio market every couple of days while in Rome.

I bought the Asiago cheese at the Coop Supermarket in the town of Asiago. the Coop had a cheese bar which offered samples of the various aged cheese. The older the better in terms of concentrated flavor. Why transport back water/moisture?

"Asiago" is a protected designation of origin" of Asiago Cheese. Not the same as the "asiago" cheese that I can find in the US.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asiago_cheese

Just buy a selection of cheeses at your last stop so you don't have to carry them around and worry about conditions. They need not be vacuum-packed. I normally put them in my checked luggage, unless the weather's hot and I think bags might sit out on tarmac at an airport.