In Umberto Eco's The Name of the Rose, which is set in a Benedictine abbey in the 14th century, there is a plot point turning around a vat of pig blood; in Eco's Postscript, he mentions that this was a factor in the setting of the story in the mountains, as pigs were not slaughtered until the cold months. Why would this be? Does it apply more generally to other animals? Is this a Christian-specific tradition or would other European cultures have potentially practiced it as well?
They did it in England as well, though exactly how applicable the English schedule is to Italy is an open question. More can be said on the matter if anyone would like to address meat in the Medieval Period; for the meantime, OP, this answer by u/BRIStoneman on the price of meat also deals with the timing of slaughter.