Over 15,000 people attended for two days the Pasta di Gragnano festival at the end of September. Over 6,400 pasta dishes were distributed in the “Street Pasta” points of the iconic Campania village. About 2,000 visitors went to to the pasta factories which opened specifically for the occasion. Finally, the concert of Renzo Arbore and his Orchestra Italiana – that made everybody sing “Reginella” throughout Gragnano – went literally sold out.
These are some of the numbers of the nineteenth edition of the Gragnano pasta festival, which renewed the partnership between the “City of Pasta” and its territory. Organizers from the Consortium for the Protection of Gragnano Pasta PGI have strongly emphasized this union, through an initiative that more than any other has characterized this latest festival edition: the opening of the Valley of Mills to the public.
A FESTIVAL FOR THE PASTA OF GRAGNANO
Over 1,600 people took guided tours of the ancient road along the Vernotico stream, among the remains of the ancient aqueduct, lush vegetation and, of course, the typical mills of Gragnano’s pasta-making manufacturing since the 16th century. Another unprecedented initiative in the history of the festival was the preview organized by the protection Consortium at Palazzo Petrucci in Naples to present the initiative – a great success.
About 150 guests participated, including the mayor of Naples Luigi de Magistris, entrepreneurs and journalists from all over Italy. The evening was presented by the well-known Italian Tv presenter Piero Chiambretti. Guests were able to discover the secrets of Gragnano PGI pasta and its flavors, also thanks to the surprising recipes by Michelin-starred chef Lino Scarallo.
“The Pasta Festival is an extraordinary moment of aggregation for this territory – said Aurora Casillo, President of the Consortium – and a showcase of the elements that have made the name of Gragnano famous throughout the world. Starting from its rich landscape and culture, as well as the passion of its inhabitants who every day pour all their energy into making this masterpiece of Italian taste inimitable. It is necessary to work more and more so as to make the pasta festival become an essential appointment for all lovers of taste, with an offer increasingly marked by quality.”
THE PROTECTION CONSORTIUM
Founded in 2003 by the union of the historic pasta producers in this municipality of Campania, the Consortium for the Protection of Gragnano Pasta PGI is now the guardian of the long tradition that has made the “City of Pasta” known throughout the world. Thanks to the Consortium, in 2013 Pasta di Gragnano obtained the Protected Geographical Indication mark, which is particularly significant as it is the first ever European Community quality recognition assigned to pasta.
THE ANCIENT ART OF MAKING PASTA
The pure spring water of the area and the durum wheat semolina are two essential ingredients that people from Gragnano exploit for the production of pasta since ancient times. The art of milling is documented since the ancient Rome age, but it is only in the sixteenth century that the first family-run pasta factories were born.
Watch below to discover some authentic producers of Pasta di Gragnano on the Italianfood.net platform:
