Barilla’s pasta journey from formula 1 paddocks to the international space station

Olbia--In a powerful blend of tradition and innovation, Barilla has launched two striking initiatives that showcase the enduring emotional and cultural power of Italian cuisine one rooted in the gritty paddocks of 1970s Formula 1, the other aimed skyward into the silence of space.

Unveiled during a compelling conference at Med Fest 2025, Andrea Sorbello, Associate Director of Group Communication & External Relations at Barilla, shared how the company continues to honour its legacy while reimagining the future of food always with pasta at the centre.

Barilla’s new global campaign, “Come in Famiglia” (“Like Family”), begins by spotlighting a forgotten figure in motorsport history: Luigi Montanini, known in the paddock simply as Pasticcino. A pastry chef from Modena, Montanini found himself almost by accident cooking meals for the racing world in the late 1970s. In an era long before luxury hospitality suites, he set up a makeshift kitchen with little more than two burners and a few pots, cooking pasta for mechanics, engineers and even racing legends.

His secret ingredient? Not just Barilla pasta but warmth, community, and care.

"In a world built on speed and rivalry, he created moments of calm and connection," said Paolo Barilla, Vice President of the Barilla Group and a former Formula 1 driver himself. "A simple plate of pasta brought people together. It made them feel at home, even far from it."

Montanini’s impromptu meals were served on the bonnets of cars and folding tables, with no formal invitation only the smell of a freshly cooked Italian meal and a sense of belonging.

“This story isn’t just nostalgia,” Andrea Sorbello explained at Med Fest. “It reflects something deeply Italian: the belief that food, no matter where you are, has the power to make strangers feel like family.”

From racing circuits to rocket launches, Barilla’s second initiative sees the beloved Italian staple head into orbit. As part of the Ax-3 space mission, Barilla pasta has officially reached the International Space Station (ISS) offering astronauts a comforting taste of home and helping promote Italy’s cuisine as a candidate for UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage.

The project, run in coordination with the Italian Ministry of Agriculture, the Italian Air Force, and Axiom Space, involves 3 kilograms of Barilla fusilli being sent into orbit. Once on board the ISS, astronauts will not only eat the pasta but take part in sensory experiments to better understand how space travel affects taste and nutrition.

Due to the microgravity environment, traditional cooking methods aren’t possible, so Barilla’s R&D team developed a specially prepared, pre-cooked version of its iconic fusilli. The pasta is designed to maintain its famed al dente texture no boiling required.

“It’s a proud moment,” said Sorbello. “To bring our tradition into space means giving astronauts a small piece of Italy and a little comfort even 400 kilometres above Earth.”

Cristina Gallina, Barilla’s Global Discovery Centre Director, added “We’ve developed a pasta that doesn’t just survive the trip 

 it delivers joy. It’s nutritious, practical, and above all, delicious.”

As a family-owned company founded in Parma in 1877, Barilla continues to blend heritage and forward-thinking. From Pasticcino’s humble pasta pots to space-grade fusilli, the message remains clear: food brings people together, wherever they are.

“In the end,” said Andrea Sorbello, “it’s not just about pasta. It’s about the human connection that comes with it. Whether on a racetrack, around the family table, or floating in orbit a shared meal reminds us that we’re never truly far from home.”

PS