Puglia, a National Geographic awarded tourist destination
Nunzia Caputo, from the streets of Bari to international stardom: how “la signora delle orecchiette” is taking a beloved tradition around the world.
Puglia, a National Geographic awarded tourist destination
With its gorgeous beaches, bright sun and mediterranean landscape, Puglia is one the most popular tourist destination in Italy at the moment. And rightfully so, considering National Geographic awarded it the “Best Value Destination Prize” for the second consecutive year in 2023. The heel of the booth is definitely having its moment.
Bari, between changes and traditions
Bari, the capital of Puglia, stands proud on the coast, its metropolitan area sprawling for kilometers. The city has undergone profound changes in the last 10 years, which affected its size and infrastructure. It became more modern and efficient, catching up to speed to other beloved metropolitan destinations in Europe. One thing, however, remains unchanged: its rich traditions, such as cuisine.
Of course, Italian cuisine is renowned around the world, but it’s not one big generic group. While there are some staples that can be found anywhere in the country, some dishes belong to certain cities, like pizza to Napoli or carbonara to Rome, to cite some of the most famous. This is a result of Italy’s extremely diverse past: thousands of peoples and civilizations passed through the peninsula, each leaving a mark that can still be felt nowadays in the country in the form of its linguistic and cultural landscape.
Orecchiette, Puglia’s trademark pasta
It probably goes without saying that pasta making is a beloved tradition in a region known for its craftmanship and cuisine. Orecchiette (literally “little ears” in Italian) are a pasta shape typical of Puglia that resembles little ears. To obtain the peculiar shape, little squares of dough are dragged along a board with a knife. This results in a little curl, that then gets flipped using the thumb. Because of the dragging motion required to make them, in Bari’s dialect they are known as strasc’nat, which literally translates to “dragged”.
La Via Delle Orecchiette
Anyone interested in witnessing this ancient tradition can do so by simply walking around the Old City. What was once known as Arco Bass Street has now become “La Via Delle Orecchiette”, a street where many older ladies display their pasta making abilities right outside their houses. Some of them have also set up shop, and it is possible to buy fresh pasta directly from them. In particular, one of them has turned into a worldwide phenomenon thanks to her social media presence.
Nunzia Caputo, a pasta-making celebrity
Nunzia Caputo (@leorecchiettedinunzia on Instagram), also known as “La signora delle orecchiette” has been making orecchiette since she was a little girl. Her grandmother taught her how, and Nunzia manage to turn it into a livelihood. What sets her apart is that she saw the opportunity modern communication channels offer and used it to popularize this ancient tradition. Her hypnotizing pasta-making moves make for well performing Instagram reels, and, despite the fact that Nunzia does not speaking English and the majority of her content is in Italian or Barese dialect, her and her team have managed to internationalize her presence.
During the years Nunzia has obtained a brand ambassador contract with Molino Casillo, a local pasta manufacturer brand, that is now supplying her with the durum wheat used for orecchiette, but it does not stop there. Dolce & Gabbana sought her out to shoot an advertisement with Sistine and Sophia Stallone, daughters of actor Sylvester Stallone, and many other famous people have paid her a visit. Furthermore, she has represented Puglia in many international food and tourism fairs across the world, from New York to Barcelona.
Recently, one of India’s richest men invited her to take part to his wedding festivities. Nunzia was in charge of making fresh orecchiette for his pre-wedding ceremony. The invitation list included prominent celebrities like Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg and Rihanna, whom Nunzia was able to meet and described as a “star”.
Making tradition a brand
In March, Mrs. Caputo registered her brand “Nunzia, la pastaia” with the Bari Chamber of Commerce. Her son Rino, who takes care of the less “artisanal” aspect of the craft, says that this is a necessary step to help protect his mother’s brand from imitations and improper use of her image. However, this is not the only goal. Being a recognized brand will also help Nunzia with what has always been her goal: showing the world the wonders of traditional pugliese cuisine and preserving traditional crafts that are unfortunately getting lost over time.
