In the heart of Rome, near the Trevi Fountain, you will find a gallery unique in the world.
The first Museum dedicated to the Italian Queen…Pasta
When you say "Italia," one is the word that comes to your mind: pasta! Our beloved Italy is known for its unique cuisine and mainly for its pasta-based dishes. Pasta is undoubtedly the undisputed Queen of Italian tables. There is no dish more universally loved all over the world. We Italians are proud to have become its ambassadors. Hundreds of different types of pasta are produced in Italy: long, short, stuffed, dry, fresh. Not to mention the endless variations of flours for the dough. According to some estimates, there are 300 different kinds of pasta in Italy! If you, like us, love pasta, you cannot miss the Museum dedicated to this delicacy located in Rome.
Envisioned by the pasta entrepreneur Vincenzo Agnesi
In 1958 the collection was envisioned by Vincenzo Agnesi in Pontedassio, near Imperia (Liguria region). Agnesi has been one of Italy's oldest pasta makers since 1824. In 1991, the gallery was relocated to a sixteenth-century palace of Piazza Scanderbeg, just steps away from the magnificent Trevi Fountain, one of Rome's most beautiful symbols. The Agnesi foundation runs the Museum. You will find it on Piazza Scanderbeg 117.
The collection
Once Federico Fellini – one of the most beloved and respected Italian directors – said: "Life is a combination of pasta and magic." The legendary quote has become the Museum's motto. Within the Museum's halls, visitors - says the Museum - "will discover how pasta is made from wheat and what are the procedures used in kneading and drying, both in the ancient artisan process and in modern industrial technology: from rudimentary machines, such as first stone millstones, to modern mixers." But the journey to discover the history of pasta does not end here. You will also "discover the all-Italian invention, the most important, which made possible the development of pasta all over the world, namely the creation of dry pasta. The innovation that has allowed it to be kept in perfect condition for months and even years."
Eleven exhibition rooms tell the story of pasta
The Museum is the only one in the world. For all foodies and cooking enthusiasts, this place is a must-see! As mentioned, there are eleven exhibition rooms:
- "Grain room" (exhibits a grinding wheel and explanatory panels on the production of pasta)
- "Sala ligure" (exhibits models of production machines)
- "Sala Valeriani" (photographs of famous people eating pasta)
- "Sala Travaglini" (artisan presses with dies)
- "Industrial archeology room" (dedicated to the paleo-industrial phase)
- "Rubino Scaglione Room" (works by various artists, including Rubino Scaglione)
- "Sala Montuschi" (a still functioning paleo-industrial pasta factory)
- "Sala Santi Correnti" (displays the documentation relating to the 12th century of the invention of pasta)
- "Sala Cordeglio Penèl" (tools for the production of handmade pasta)
- "Sala Paolo Emilio Taviani" (a piece of machinery for continuous production)
- "Nutrition room" (about pasta's nutritional values)
