The straw-yellow color, the scent of ripe wheat, the strong taste and wrinkled surface are the hallmarks of Gragnano pasta, which in 2013 obtained the PGI (Protected Geographical Indication) certification. But its story began in the distant past – in the 19th century – when automation did not yet exist and in Gragnano pasta was dried in the open air, stretched out on bamboo canes in Via Roma, known as the ramp d’o vient (the road of the wind), a road deliberately built to take advantage of the breezes coming up from the coast and from the heights of the Lattari mountains and which became home only to artisan pasta factories. Today, for obvious reasons, production has moved from the city to decentralized factories, but without leaving the confines of the municipality of Gragnano, because this is one of the characteristics that pasta must have in order to be PGI certified. In fact, it can only be produced in the area of the municipality of Gragnano, a territory of only 15 km². The process requires the durum wheat semolina to be mixed with spring water from the nearby Lattari mountains, drawn in bronze molds and dried at a low temperature for a long time. The artisan production process of this pasta has been handed down from father to son over the years and can be discovered at the private museum of the Pasta di Gragnano Factory.

A pasta factory in continuous evolution, with a great story to tell. Mario Moccia, an important cheese affineur, bought a pasta factory that had fallen on hard times in 1976, restored it, and relaunched the brand. The factory was sold at the beginning of the 1990s, but in 2006, the great sense of affinity to the family, to the territory and to pasta tradition led the Moccia brothers to restore the pasta factory in order to dedicate themselves to the artisanal production of high-equality pasta. Today, the company has 70 full-time employees and the same number of seasonal employees, 70% of its sales are abroad and it mainly supplies high-level restaurants, specialized stores, service areas and airports.

It has evolved, both in content (today it produces pasta flavored with Sorrento lemon, chili pepper, squid ink, coffee) and in form: the processing inside the factory remains artisanal, a philosophy strictly followed by the company, but it is supported by modern technologies that allow high standards of management, traceability, and logistics. It uses anthropomorphic robots for packaging, sensors to monitor temperature and humidity, ingredient quality and dough conditions. All this has required huge investments, but the results have spoken for themselves, with reduced production costs, and waste and environmental impact.

The food industry and the territory are inextricably linked. In the case of Gragnano pasta, it was the environment that made the product successful. It is worth seeing this natural place with its clean air and clear waters from the sea and mountains with your own eyes.

Paul Klee said it was impossible to leave, And UNESCO has declared it a World Heritage Site. If the gods have created paradises on earth, then we should thank them for giving us the Amalfi Coast, A series of cliffs, inlets and picturesque seaside villages that cling to the rock, overlooking the cobalt blue sea, and filled with the scent of nature and citrus fruits. The quality of its gastronomy is directly proportional to the beauty of its landscapes. Sorrento, a refined and romantic city famous for its lemons, is the perfect starting point. In the 19th Century, Sorrento was a mandatory stop on the Grand Tour which inspired many literary geniuses (Goethe, Dickens and Tolstoy, to name a few). Then, there is Positano, known as the wedding cake, because of its cliff-top pastel-colored houses and its luxury boutiques where the Positano beachwear polychrome fabrics were created in the 1950s. The next stop is Amalfi. Lined with terraces, stairways, porticos and votive shrines, the town has a grandiose past as a maritime republic. Finally, further up, is Ravello. This aristocratic town quietly but jealously guards shady gardens, sleepy alleys and a refined atmosphere that stole the hearts of Gore Vidal, Wagner and Virginia Woolf. Going back up towards the inland area is Gragnano. The city center – which, to tell the truth, is slightly chaotic – is the access point to the Valle dei Mulini, a natural park that preserves evidence of the area’s industrial archeology. The park is home to just over 2 km of green, limestone walls and crystal-clear water: a unique landscape that used to be dotted with almost 40 mills that, in their heyday, ground over 1 million tons of grain per year. 18 mills have survived, but the valley still retains an enchanting atmosphere. Today it is unprotected by the Consorzio di Tutela della Pasta di Gragnano IGP, an organization that is committed to recovering the area through a restoration project that combines technical interventions on the architectural structures with the promotion of the history and heritage of this territory.

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