Durum wheat spaghetti

Bronze-die spaghetti, rough and al dente from the Abruzzo region

Rustichella d'Abruzzo spaghetti are durum wheat pasta made in Penne, in the Abruzzo region, following the same family recipe since 1924. Not an industrial product made with a Teflon die, but pasta drawn through bronze dies with a rough, satisfying surface for any sauce.

Durum wheat semolina spaghetti from Rustichella d'Abruzzo is the classic Italian pasta from the province of Pescara, crafted from just two ingredients: durum wheat semolina and the soft spring water of the Abruzzo region. Back in 1924, Gaetano Sergiacomo—known to everyone simply as "Tanuccio"—produced these very same durum wheat spaghetti in his small mill in Penne with the same patience that remains to this day.

Rough, golden, holds onto sauce

After being drawn through traditional bronze dies, the surface remains pleasantly rough and golden-hued, ensuring that every sauce sticks where it belongs instead of sliding off the plate.

On the palate, the spaghetti is firm to the bite, full-bodied, and leaves a slightly nutty finish—it prefers simplicity: fruity tomato sauce, Aglio e Olio e Peperoncino, or, as is popular in Southern Italy, a few shavings of bottarga on top. It is just as hospitable to oil and butter-based sauces as it is to finely chopped herbs and fresh vegetables.

The Abruzzo region unites the sea and the mountains in a small space; even in summer, you can ski on the Gran Sasso and swim in the Adriatic. You can taste this duality in the pasta, which is down-to-earth yet refined, hearty yet light, just like the landscape from which it comes.

9 to 11 minutes to the perfect bite

In plenty of salted water, this durum wheat spaghetti takes 9 to 11 minutes to reach the characteristic al dente texture of Abruzzo; a little less if you prefer it firmer.

Serve it simply with a good extra virgin olive oil, plenty of garlic, and peperoncino, in the authentic Abruzzese style. On warm summer evenings, a handful of fresh herbs is often enough, and a glass of dry white wine pairs almost naturally with it. Those wishing to explore the rest of the pasta range will find the shorter, ridged Penne Rigate to be the perfect sibling for ragouts and vegetable sauces.

From Gaetano to Gianluigi, a hundred years of pasta

In 1924, Gaetano Sergiacomo, the eldest of seven children from a family of millers in the Pescara hinterland, founded his first pastificio in Penne exactly as he had imagined: with the best durum wheat flour and the region’s soft spring water, nothing else.

In 1981, his son-in-law Piero Peduzzi took over the business and named it Rustichella d'Abruzzo. The founder's bronze dies remained in use, and the legendary brown paper bag was introduced—the first of its kind in Italy at the time. To this day, the pasta is dried for 56 hours at a gentle 35 degrees, allowing it to maintain its firm structure rather than being industrially heat-dried in just a few hours—patience instead of speed, that’s the secret.

Since 2001, the family business has operated as an S.p.A. led by Gianluigi Peduzzi, the founder's grandson, together with his sister Stefania, while the fourth generation—Carolina, Stefano, and Piero—are already waiting in the wings. Today, the small pastificio from Penne supplies more than 70 countries around the world without having changed its production process even once.

Even Luciano Pavarotti once called the factory personally to secure a supply of his favorite pasta, and kept a thank-you letter from the family that remains private to this day. Respect.