For some of us, spending more than just a weekend with our family seems a little overwhelming. Not for the Martelli family though. Nope, these kin-loving folk are the only ones that work in their middle-of-nowhere factory in Lari, a teeny tiny Tuscan town filled with olive trees and beautiful, sprawling grassy valleys. And when we found this bright, eye-catching package of yellow pasta, we had no idea how bad ass this family actually was. The Martelli's spend no money on advertising and the the factory that they've been occupying for almost 100 years prevents a certain trendy store from manufacturing in their quaint little town. Pretty rad, huh? We think so, and what's even better is how awesome their pasta is.
By using old school techniques, this pasta, which comes in four classic shapes, has a super-porous finish that is absolutely perfect for soaking up sauce while still maintaining a nice al dente bite. Not only do they use the finest hard durum wheat flour but they actually grow it on their own property. And unlike mass produced pasta, which is dried in a giant heated air blaster, the Martelli's dry their pasta for fifty hours using a low temperature that allows the pasta to retain a beautiful flavor and a perfect texture. We recommend tossing the cooked pasta with olive oil and freshly grated Parmigiano for a simple and quick meal that is surprisingly opulent.