Our pasta
The gold of our fields
The journey of our pasta: From Grain to Gold
We are the only producers of durum wheat in Ticino and have opted for the "Orobel" variety due to its high protein content. We sow our fields in autumn and bring the harvest to the mill in Maroggia in June, where it is ground into semolina.
The short supply chain of our grain is completed at the Simona pasta factory in Quartino, where our penne, nidi and spaghetti come out of bronze moulds - then slowly air-dried in the Magadino plain.
Our spirit of innovation extends to our pastries, where we've teamed up with an Italian pastry chef to produce a range of hand-crafted tagliatelle in Bad Ragaz.
From the fields to the Maroggia Mill
It all begins in the fertile fields of Terreni alla Maggia, near Ascona, where our durum wheat grows — the only durum wheat cultivated in Ticino.
After the harvest, the wheat is taken to the Maroggia Mill, at the foot of Monte Generoso. Here, it is milled and transformed into medium-grain durum wheat semolina with its characteristic golden colour.
Alessandro Fontana, who runs the family mill, highlights one of its key characteristics: it is precisely this semolina that contributes to the texture of Terreni alla Maggia pasta, helping it remain wonderfully al dente.
Since 1938, the tradition of Pasta Simona
From the Maroggia Mill, the semolina continues its journey to Pasta Simona in Quartino, a family business founded by Alberto Simona in 1938.
For around 20 years, this is where the durum wheat semolina from Terreni alla Maggia has been transformed into spaghetti, penne and nidi.
Antonio “Tino” Simona has been managing the company for several decades and still follows the production process closely today. Alongside him, his nephew Flavio Simona, Head of Production, oversees a process that runs 24 hours a day.
Pasta Simona produces between 400 and 500 kilos of pasta per hour, keeping temperature and humidity constant in order to ensure the high quality of the product.
The pasta takes shape
The semolina is mixed with water to create the dough, which then passes through the extruder.
Inside the machines, the pasta takes shape thanks to different bronze dies. This is followed by the delicate drying process.
This is how, step by step, grain becomes semolina, semolina becomes dough and dough becomes pasta.
A piece of Ticino on the plate
From the fields near Ascona to the Maroggia Mill, then to the production facilities of Pasta Simona and finally to the table: Terreni alla Maggia pasta tells the story of a production chain deeply rooted in the Ticino region.
It also finds its way onto the plates of Chef Mattias Roock at the Castello del Sole, right next to the fields of Terreni alla Maggia. Here, it is served, among other preparations, with his famous sauce made from tomato varieties grown in the hotel’s own vegetable garden.
More than just a dish: an authentic expression of Ticino heritage.
— Text by Anina Rether
