Comisana
The Comisana, also known as the Faccia Rossa or Lentinese, is an Italian list of [sheep breeds|breed] of domestic sheep indigenous to central and northern areas of the Mediterranean island of Sicily. Its name derives from that of the comune of Comiso, in the province of Ragusa. It is raised principally in the provinces of Caltanissetta, Enna and Palermo, but is found in many other Italian provinces and has also been exported to other Mediterranean countries.
History
The origins of the Comisana are obscure; it is a southern Mediterranean breed. It appears to derive from cross-breeding of the Sicilian Pinzirita with Maltese stock imported to Sicily towards the end of the nineteenth century.It is one of the seventeen autochthonous Italian sheep breeds for which a genealogical herd-book is kept by the Associazione Nazionale [della Pastorizia], the Italian national association of sheep-breeders; the herdbook was established in 1976. Total numbers for the breed were estimated at in 1983, of which were registered in the herdbook. In 2013 the number recorded in the herdbook was ; in 2023 it was. In 2025 the conservation status of the breed was listed in DAD-IS as "at risk/vulnerable".