Luigi Donnari and his wife Maria Alzapiedi are the geniuses behind ‘Pasta Di Aldo’, named after the first two letters of each surname. They work from a tiny workshop in Monte San Giusto in the Marche, producing just 50kg of dried egg pasta per day (at a push they can reach 80kg, usually around Christmas time). The pasta they produce is all bright yellow in colour, light in texture and widely considered to be amongst the best in Italy. It was even recently endorsed by Heston Blumenthal in his book ‘In Search Of Perfection’.

A true passion and belief in what they do is what sets Luigi and Maria’s pasta apart from the countless other varieties available. At the beginning, they tried their pasta out on their friends, before eventually supplying local restaurants. They now sell their products in some of the most famous delicatessens in Italy.

Each type of pasta is made with a variety of semolina flours that have been ground at different settings, from coarsely to extra fine. These flours are carefully chosen according to the shape and thickness of pasta to be made. The pasta is rolled out using a surprisingly small machine, cut by hand and then slowly dried for eight hours before packed into beautiful handmade boxes.

This chocolate owes its peculiar name to its 'inventors' BRUna Ghibellini and COstantino Tiranti from the Marche region of Italy. Bruna was a midwife who was totally committed to her job and who, between 1930 and 1970, delivered dozens of local babies. Her husband, Constantino, was a carpenter, who often accompanied her. In 1940 they discovered the recipe for chocolate and aniseed, and it was this recipe that gave birth to 'Cioccolato di BruCo'.

This recipe was recently rediscovered by their grandson, Fabio Lenci, in an old handwritten recipe notebook. Fabio took this recipe to another level, through endless research into the use of different spices with chocolate. It was even noted as early as 1591 by Juan de Cedenaz that " chocolate improves markedly in flavour with the addition of flavourings and spices, such as cinnamon, vanilla and anise." This confirmed their intuition that led them to create their anise-infused chocolate bars and also encouraged them to experiment with vanilla and cinammon in original and innovative combinations.

Even today Cioccolato di BruCo adhere to traditional recipes to produce chocolate with an authentic flavour. They choose the best quality cocoa beans from South America: Trinitario, Forastero and the highly-prized Criollo. From these beans they produce a chocolate that is shiny and mahogany in colour, with the distinctive snap that is typical of cocoa that has been worked with great care.

The fusion of tradition and contemporary artistry has earned BruCo attention from chocolate experts throughout Europe. In 2002, BruCo was voted the Best Artisan Chocolate in Italy at the Eurochocolate Awards in Perugia.

Like most Italian young men, Luigi Dattilo loves cars. But not as much as he loves truffles. As a teenager, having saved enough money to buy a sports car, his passion got the better of him and instead he bought a dog. Not just an ordinary dog, but a truffle hunter – in Italy a dog with an accurate nose for the precious but elusive funghi is worth thousands. With that dog he and his brother began the small business that now produces some of the most wonderful truffle and mushroom products in Italy.

The different talents of the brothers Luigi and Angelo Dattilo stand for the uniqueness of the Appennino Funghi e Tartufi products: Luigi is the buyer who selects the fresh truffles and Angelo is head of production. Both value the talents of the other and, over the years of working together, they have attained a product quality unequalled throughout the world.

Appennino Funghi e Tartufi are based in the picturesque town of Savigno in Emilia Romagna, one of just a handful of Italian towns to be awarded the title of ‘Città del Tartufo’, who have joined together to form an association with the objective of protecting the truffle’s natural environment. It is an important market for truffles, with buyers coming from all over Italy, drawn by the high quality of the Savigno truffle. The most important trader in the region is Luigi Dattilo, who has always been a nose ahead of the competition and has earned Appennino Funghi e Tartufi its place as a leader amongst international truffle connoisseurs.

‘Nature’s best deserves nothing less than perfect craftsmanship and state-of-the-art technology.’ This is Appennino’s maxim and it ensures that the inimitable taste of the truffle is refined to make first-class products. Immediately upon arrival the fresh truffles are thoroughly examined, cleaned and then processed using time-honoured recipes, adding the best ingredients and heated gently to produce the various truffle products.

Savigno can be found between Modena and Bologna, a region well know worldwide for its tradition of fine foods through the centuries. These towns have worked together throughout history and continue today to promote official recognition and protection of regional produce. Savigno is one of only 21 truffle towns in Italy and hosts the biggest truffle fair in all of Emilia Romagna on the first three Sundays of November.

The "Dispensa di Amerigo" brand is a guarantee of quality and offers a wide range of natural products and delicacies made using only the best quality local and seasonal produce.

Since the beginning of 2005, nearly all their products, which are the fruit of more than 70 years of family experience and were born in the kitchens of their Michelin starred trattoria, Amerigo 1934, are produced at the new premises in Monteveglio.
Many other new products are currently being tested and will be released on a seasonal basis. These new products will reflect the dishes, sauces and condiments that are normally served at the trattoria in Savigno.

Their high standards are obtained by means of continued research and testing which are carried out on a daily basis together with their suppliers of produce. They believe in the re-discovery and appreciation of the genuine food of this part of the Emilia Region which was once famous and appreciated all over the world.