Hi, I'm Virginia 🙃
I grew up in Parma — the capital of Italian gastronomy. In my home, the kitchen was the centre of everything, and my mother Nadia was the keeper of every recipe. Fresh pasta, ravioli, Sunday sauce: things you learn by watching, not by reading.
The idea for Pasta Special came about almost by chance, in 2022, in our family kitchen in Calestano. I had started welcoming a few guests informally — friends of friends, curious travellers looking for something real, far from the tourist circuits. Word of mouth did the rest.
I didn't have a cooking school. I had a home, a brilliant mother, a terrace with a breathtaking view, and the conviction that fresh pasta is first and foremost about sharing. That the best way to tell the story of Italy is to get your hands in the dough and cook together.
Today I welcome over 800 guests a year from all over the world. I've brought pasta to Brooklyn, Dubai and soon to Los Angeles. But every time someone makes pasta for the first time in my kitchen, it feels exactly like that very first time. That feeling never changes.
The project comes to life in Calestano, in the hills of Parma. A family home kitchen, mother Nadia, a terrace with a view, and the belief that fresh pasta is first and foremost about sharing. From day one: small groups, real atmosphere.
Word of mouth brings Pasta Special to Tuscany, invited by international travellers looking for something genuine. Fresh pasta crosses regional borders for the first time.
The Gazzetta di Parma dedicates an article to the project, recognising its value and originality. The first official recognition — a sign that telling the story of the territory in this way was working.
Handmade fresh pasta reaches the United States with a pop-up in Brooklyn. The same pasta I make in Calestano, unchanged. New York responded with curiosity, attention and genuine participation.
Pasta Special arrives in Dubai, hosted by an Italian pasta restaurant. Same method, same pasta — in a high-expectation international context. Another step in a journey that keeps growing.
The next chapter. In April 2026 I'll be in Los Angeles, guest of an Italian pasta restaurant. Same pasta, same care, a new city. The journey continues.
I believe fresh pasta is first and foremost about sharing. Not a lesson to follow sitting down — but an experience to live with your hands in the dough, laughing, making mistakes, learning together.
I guide every guest step by step through the art of handmade pasta, sharing traditional techniques and practical tips. Pasta Special is my way of telling the story of authentic Italy, one recipe at a time.
— Virginia 🌾 Book your class →I'll be waiting with my apron already tied.
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