To celebrate her new Prime Video series, the social-media star takes us on a tasty tour of her homeland—sharing her favorite spots for sourdough, mozzarella, and (of course) pasta
Nadia Caterina Munno isn’t called The Pasta Queen just because she knows her way around a bowl of linguine. Already true pasta nobility—her family began producing Italy’s staple dish in the 1800s—she’s now also social-media royalty, thanks to the exuberant, comically passionate cooking tutorials she posts to her 4.7 million (and counting) followers on Instagram and TikTok.
And now, she’s about to be a television star too, with the launch of her series The Pasta Queen, which debuts on Prime Video from October 24. “I’m very excited to show everyone my beloved country,” she says over Zoom from the now-famous kitchen of her Florida home. “I ate some of the best pasta I’ve ever eaten making this series,” she continues. “A guy who worked at a hotel I stayed at shared his nonna’s secret puttanesca sauce recipe with me—I almost fell in love with him.”
In person, she’s a toned-down version of her enthusiastic, passionate on-screen alter ego—a persona that came into being in 2020, after she saw what she describes as “a blasphemous video of a horrifying lasagna” on TikTok. Realizing her culture was being misrepresented, she decided to share the recipes that had been in her family for generations. The show took her across Italy, meeting food producers and cooking recipes back home at her 1920s chateau in Clearwater, Florida, where she relocated from Italy with her family in 2016.
So, what’s her advice for anyone seeking the ultimate authentic pasta? “I’ve probably tried 500 different recipes, but I still believe puttanesca is the best ever created, and it has to be eaten in Campania. The best olives, capers, tomatoes and herbs are all from the region. Head for a family-run restaurant—and ask for a puttanesca sauce made by a grandma.”
Bari and Altamura, Puglia
“I have a special love of Puglia because I used to go every summer with my dad and stepmom. My stepmom taught me to make orecchiette [a type of pasta shaped like little ears]. Strada Arco Basso in Bari, the regional capital, is dedicated to making orecchiette. All the matriarchs sit at their tables to roll this wonderful pasta shape. The best dish for orecchiette is braciole ragu: meat rolled with cheese and herbs, simmered in tomato sauce for hours until the meat is so tender. It’s a Sunday staple.
“The town of Altamura is famous for a slow-rising sourdough, the most delicious bread that you will find in the bakeries, and there are an estimated 60 million olive trees in Puglia—some that have been there for over 1,000 years—so it is one of the biggest regions for olive oil exports.”
Taranto, Puglia
“The best mussels are in Taranto in Puglia. Try cozze alla tarantina, a simple mussel soup you find in traditional restaurants. There are also beautiful restaurants built into the rocks in the region’s seaside towns with the most incredible seafood. Some of my favorite places to visit are the ‘white town’ of Ostuni and Alberobello, with the homes with cone-shaped roofs that are iconic landmarks of the region.”
Rome, Lazio
“Rome is my birthplace, and they say once you’ve been in Rome, you become part Roman—because it is bewitching, it stays in your heart. Even I, having been raised there, find something magical about it. Rome also has a lot of countryside that not many people know about. It’s like a secret, but there is so much incredible land in Lazio where they create wonderful cured meats and cheeses—the sheep’s ricotta is the best I ever tasted.
“Three of the most famous recipes in the world come from the area—carbonara, cacio e pepe and amatriciana. My favorite place to eat is my friend Sarah Cicolini’s SantoPalato, one of the hottest restaurants of the moment. She’s an incredible chef—and she makes an amazing carbonara. The area to book accommodation is Campo Marzio. I love Hotel de Russie—you get to eat breakfast in one of the most incredible gardens of Rome that used to be owned by a Roman aristocratic family. It’s so special.”
A cultural guide to Rome
Naples and the Amalfi Coast, Campania
“I used to holiday in Naples with my grandparents every summer, and I lived there for a few years as a young child. My dad’s side of the family have been farming since the late 1700s, providing the region with food. My grandfather was obsessed with lemons, and my ‘Lemon Temptress’ pasta is inspired by him. He had groves that produced these giant fragrant lemons thanks to the sun and the mineral content of the volcanic land. Some of the best fruits and vegetables, such as San Marzano tomatoes and flavorful eggplants, come from the region because of the rich soil.
“They also have the best buffalo mozzarella—it gets exported everywhere, but refrigeration changes the flavor, so you have to go to Campania to have caprese salad and eggplant parmigiana, another world-renowned recipe that gets botched. It is a simple vegetarian recipe and a Neapolitan Sunday staple made by all the nonnas.
“As for where to visit, I can never say enough about Capri. It was the summer resort of Tiberius, the Emperor of Rome, and his villa and secret gardens are still there. They are mind-blowing—just out of this world. You can never go wrong with Positano and there’s a little place called Vico Equense, on the Sorrentine Peninsula, with amazing restaurants. My favorite is Antica Osteria Nonna Rosa. I love home-cooked, nonna-style dishes and don’t tend to go for fine dining, but this is one of my favorite Michelin-starred places because the food is rustic, rich and earthy.”
Modena and Bologna, Emilia-Romagna
“I have a confession: I’m supposed to be Rome-obsessed, and I love my hometown, but there is a reason why they call Emilia-Romagna the capital of food. It’s the home of some of the most famous ingredients in the world—we’re talking prosciutto, mortadella, aged balsamic vinegar, pancetta, coppa.
“The dish you have to eat is tortellini en brodo. The broth itself is a masterpiece and the tortellini are tiny forces of nature—legend has it they were inspired by Venus’ belly button. It’s a heavenly experience. People claim the birth of this dish to be Bologna or Modena, and only the pasta gods know the truth, but I’ve tasted them in both towns and they’re equally good.
“Modena is a very charming city, there’s a special energy there. As a southern Italian, we’re more raw and earthy in our ways, and, though Emilia-Romagna is the north, it feels like the south. The people are warm, friendly and embracing, and they cook amazing food.”
From hearty tortellini en brodo in the north to the fresh flavors of the Amalfi Coast to the seafood pasta of Puglia in the south, in Italy every region has its own culinary identity. These are the Pasta Queen-approved hotspots every foodie should know—and where to stay in style along the way.
Lara Kilner is a lifestyle journalist who has contributed to The Times, The Telegraph, and more. She has traveled extensively through five continents, but her most memorable trip was the one on which she met her Malaysian husband.
