ABOUT ME
I’m an international lawyer by day, a food dreamer always.
My love for food as culture is as old as I can remember — maybe older. As a child, I’d make tiny bowls of pretend pasta and leave them to “cook” on winter radiators. Even then, I knew food had its own kind of magic.
I’ve always believed that the way a culture eats tells you nearly everything: how it loves, how it gathers, how it remembers. It’s why nearly all my travels are tasting tours, one plate at a time.
Made al Dente is where I collect those memories, rituals, and flavors — from my grandmothers’ kitchens (one Calabrian, fiery and southern; the other Milanese, elegant and restrained), from my mother’s quiet gift for cooking (though she’ll never admit it), and my father’s boisterous pride in the kitchen (he always will). Sunday lunches were — and still are — sacred. Food was never just sustenance. It was joy. Family. A way of making sense of the world.
This space is a love letter to that way of living — to slow meals, seasonal rhythms, and the stories that simmer beneath every dish.
Whether you’re here to cook, wander, or simply slow down for a while — benvenuto. I’m so glad you’re here.
With love,
Franco
WHAT YOU WILL FIND HERE
Recipes Mémoire
Ingredients
Edible Stories
Regional Eats
Made al Dente is an Italian food blog rooted in memory, place, and the quiet rituals of the kitchen. It’s a space for returning to the senses — for letting food do what it quietly does best: root us, soften us, slow us down.
My daily world moves quickly — full of urgency, deadlines, decisions. But here, I trade velocity for seasonality. I write when the tomatoes are good. I cook like time doesn’t exist.
You’ll find stories and traditional Italian recipes shaped by family, travel, and culture — always with a reverence for the small things. Whether it’s a bowl of handmade pasta from Calabria or a slice of torta rustica from the north, each post connects food to memory.
This Italian food blog is divided into four recurring threads:
Recipes Mémoire
Narrative-driven Italian recipes told through personal memory and season. These aren’t just “how-tos” — they’re “where-froms.” Instructions are intuitive and story-first, with cook’s notes for thoughtful home cooks.
Edible Stories
First-person essays exploring food and travel in Italy, family traditions, and the emotional texture of meals. These long-form stories are meant to be read slowly — while something simmers.
Regional Eats
Reflections on regional Italian cuisine, from bitter greens in Puglia to Alpine cheeses in the north. These pieces bring cultural history to the plate — for those who savor context as much as flavor.
Ingredients
Deep dives into ingredients that define Italian cooking — ricotta, olive oil, wild fennel — blending insight with storytelling for lovers of simplicity and quality.