Here’s how a Prince and a Cook invented Spaghetti alla Nerano

There is a seaside trattoria in Marina del Cantone, the beach of Nerano (in Campania), built under the auspices of the 17th-century chapel of Saint Anthony of Padua, with which it shares its walls. Towards the end of the 19th century, that small strip of pebbled beach served as a landing point and a place of rest for fishermen who docked their boats there in search of nourishment and respite. Cooking for them — and for her husband, also a fisherman — was Signora Maria Grazia, who prepared simple, wholesome, no-frills meals to feed the sea workers.

Fishermen’s Landing at Marina del Cantone

The history of Trattoria Maria Grazia

The trattoria thrived and, in the 1950s, became a family business: “At a certain point, my grandmother Rosa, daughter of Maria Grazia, took the reins of the place. The trattoria, with four tables and a terrace overlooking the sea, became a favourite especially among nobles who, holidaying in Capri, would reach Marina del Cantone beach with their rowing boats,” says Rosa Andreone, the fourth generation of Maria Grazia’s family and her great-granddaughter. Among the noble patrons was also Prince Pupetto of Sirignano, who became a close friend of Signora Rosa. It was on one day in 1952 that the two friends together created a recipe destined to become part of the culinary history of the Amalfi Coast: spaghetti alla Nerano.

Historic photo of Trattoria Maria Grazia with adjoining chapel

Origins of Spaghetti alla Nerano

When Prince Pupetto received a visit from a noble friend, he decided to take him to his favourite trattoria: Maria Grazia. He wanted to impress him with a special dish, cooked together with Rosa. The two set to work: “Grandma had a fixation with always frying courgettes, so they were already prepared. There was never a shortage of basil in the garden, and there was always a good cheese,” recalls Rosa Andreone. Thanks to the prince’s inventiveness and Rosa’s flair in the kitchen, spaghetti alla Nerano was born — now appreciated all over the world.

Shame that, at the time, not everyone understood its goodness: “My grandmother started serving it to all the diners, and we’ve never stopped since. But back then, they made fun of her: they’d say ‘She wants to make pasta with cucuzzielli’ — a way of mocking it as a poor man’s dish, because of the courgettes,” Rosa adds.

Marina del Cantone beach with a view of the trattoria

The magic of a family dish

Yet, perseverance always pays off. “Eventually the dish caught on and became famous even among politicians — this was before the Tangentopoli era — and from there it took off, even abroad,” Rosa continues. Today, spaghetti alla Nerano is one of the most replicated Italian dishes in the world, having even gone viral on social media, with millions of views.

But a certain magic still reigns over that trattoria, born almost by chance on a small beach in Campania: “We take turns in the kitchen — as well as family members like my uncle, my cousins or my brother, we also have external collaborators. But when it comes to assembling the spaghetti alla Nerano, only family hands are allowed to touch the dish,” explains Rosa. Like a spell not to be broken, the final stage of tossing the spaghetti alla Nerano is the sole responsibility of the family: “Even if someone from outside cooks the pasta, the moment of tossing must be done by two family members: one mixes, the other sprinkles the Parmesan.” And it is precisely this care, passed down through generations, that makes this dish unique in the world.