About Il Re della Pasta Gragnano

A Name Built on a Legacy

Gragnano, a small town in the province of Naples at the foot of the Monti Lattari, has been known for centuries as Italy's undisputed capital of pasta. For generations, kings, queens, and dignitaries who passed through the region sought out its pasta — a reputation that eventually earned Gragnano its IGP (Indicazione Geografica Protetta) status from the European Union in 2013, formally recognizing the traditional bronze-die method used here for centuries.

It's in this town, on Via dei Campi, that Il Re della Pasta was founded by Raffaele Carfora — an industrialist who wanted to carry forward the town's storied pasta-making tradition and share it with the world. Today, the pastificio is led by his daughter, Valentina Carfora, continuing the family's work of producing pasta the way Gragnano always has: slowly, carefully, and with respect for the craft.

What Makes Gragnano Pasta Different

Gragnano's pasta owes its character to the place itself — the humid mountain climate of the Monti Lattari and the mineral-rich spring water from local sources, which together create the ideal conditions for slow, natural drying. Combined with bronze dies that leave a rough, porous surface, this traditional process produces pasta that's noticeably more textured than mass-produced alternatives — the kind that holds onto sauce instead of letting it slide off.

Our Values

At Il Re della Pasta, everything starts with selecting the best raw materials — 100% Italian wheat, chosen with an eye toward the season and the land it comes from. But it's not just about ingredients. The company is run like a family, where every voice matters and every product is made as though it were destined for their own table. That means honesty and transparency with the people they work with, and a genuine respect for the environment — reducing waste and using resources thoughtfully in everything they do.

More Than Thirty Shapes, One Standard

From spaghetti and linguine to paccheri, elicoidali, and specialty shapes like fusilli and candele, Il Re della Pasta produces close to thirty different formats — all bronze-extruded, all slow-dried, all made in the same Gragnano factory using methods passed down through generations.