Martelli pasta comes from Lari. A place in the heart of Tuscany, in the province of Pisa, 65 kilometers from Florence, 75 from Siena. Pure idyll between olive groves and vineyards, a majestic castle with a view to the sea, narrow alleys, nice shops, two cafés, two butcher shops, a wine shop, 1,200 inhabitants. A insider tip off the main roads. 

There the Martelli family business produces its five types of pasta: spaghetti, spaghettini, fusilli, penne, and macaroni. 

The Martellis use exclusively semolina from local durum wheat, the dough is slowly mixed with the addition of water and slowly pressed through bronze dies. This creates the legendary rough surface, the trofilatura al bronzo, the ultimate in pasta making.

However – bronze pressing is expensive. That is why industrial producers use Teflon-coated dies – resulting in largely smooth surfaces. The principle of slowness continues in the drying process. “50 hours at 35 degrees Celsius,” explains Luca Martelli, “mass producers could close down. They prefer to accept the disadvantage that in 90-degree quick drying part of the starch gels and leads to a gummy consistency.” Martelli, then. Hardly any star chef in Tuscany uses another pasta.

Dino Martelli – Pasta Producer

The 70-year-old – a certificate names him Cavaliere della Repubblica, bearer of Italy’s highest honor – is the head of a family clan that includes his wife Lucia, daughter Laura, son Luca, brother Mario, his children Chiara and Lorenzo, as well as Chiara’s husband Giacomo. Famiglia di Pastai, the pasta family.
Their pasta manufactory in Lari is one of the best addresses in the country.