The best pasta maker in the world is eating her lunch.
After a busy morning shift, Rossella Giannini enjoys the silence. The silver-haired matriarch watches closely as her husband, Maurizio, divides the remaining contents of a large pan of ragu between himself, their son, Alberto, and daughter-in-law, Francesca, as the family of four exchanges few words as the waiters wait diligently. prepare yourself for the evening ahead.
It is rarely this quiet at Ristorante Montana. Located a stone’s throw from Maranello, home of Ferrari, Rossella has faced an uphill battle to compete with the five-star hospitality on offer further down the road, where men in suits pay a premium for a slice of Italian luxury.
Yet the stars seem to be attracted here. It was Erling Haaland who, sitting within these four wood-paneled walls, wrote “the best pasta I’ve ever eaten” on a napkin addressed to Rossella.
“Mino Raiola’s father was a friend,” explains Maurizio, the footballing super agent who recommended this hidden gem to the free-scoring Manchester City star before his death in 2022.
Rossella Giannini (center) runs Ristorante Montana with her husband Maurizio (right) and son Alberto (left)
Her restaurant has proven to be a hit with superstar names including Erling Haaland. He described Rossella’s pasta as ‘the best I’ve ever eaten’ when he visited her eatery in Maranello
Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo visited him when he played for Juventus. He ate dumplings, pasta and tiramisu
Rossella has also been visited by Hollywood royalty, including Penelope Cruz (second from left) and Michael Mann (right)
Haaland is one of countless football faces making the trip to Ristorante Montana. Roberto de Zerbi, Gianluca Scamacca and even Cristiano Ronaldo have visited Rossella – the famous diet-crazed Portuguese who couldn’t resist Rossella’s hearty cuisine during a visit to former Juventus president Andre Agnelli several years ago.
“He ate fried dumplings with cold cuts and pasta – lasagna, tortellini and gramigna – plus tiramisu for dessert,” Rossella recalls.
She also has admirers in Hollywood, where actress Penelope Cruz and director Michael Mann sample her famous pasta.
But it is the drivers of La Scuderia who have made this place their home. Rene Arnoux and Stephan Johansson were the first to walk through its doors in 1986, while Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, the two men competing for the Prancing Horse this year, are regular visitors. Sebastian Vettel still makes an appearance despite leaving the team in 2020, while a framed photo of a grinning Fernando Alonso embracing the Italian chef during his formative racing years is proudly displayed alongside photos of his fellow Ferrari alumni .
However, there is one photo that inspires the most awe among this countless memorabilia. Rossella, stretched across the width of the wall, squeezes Michael Schumacher as he tucks into one of her main courses: tagliatelle with pork ragu sauce.
“To my mom Rossella,” reads the message from the German, subtly written on the canvas in Italian. ‘Thanks for everything.’
Rossella watches with a smile, her soft eyes glowing with admiration for the man who has made it his mission to always visit him in Maranello.
But Ferrari holds the deepest affection in Rossella’s heart. The walls of the restaurant are covered in memorabilia
Michael Schumacher formed the strongest bond with Rossella and visited the restaurant every time he was in Maranello
Schumacher called Rossella his “Italian mom” and loved her tagliatelle with pork ragu sauce
Fellow Ferrari heroes Sebastian Vettel (left) and Charles Leclerc (right) regularly visit her restaurant
“He would come here for breakfast, lunch and dinner,” she tells Mail Sport as she clears the table.
‘He was everything’
Rossella still remembers her first meeting with Schumacher. After signing with Ferrari, he got acquainted with the area and arrived on her doorstep late at night.
“It was February 14, 1996 at 11:30 p.m.,” she remembers. ‘He landed in Parma with his private plane and came to us together with the then press officer, Mr Claudio Berro. He had dinner on Valentine’s Day evening. It was love at first sight!’
Five world championships and many tagliatele dishes later, Schumacher has left an indelible mark on Maranello, as well as on Rossella’s heart.
“He called me his Italian mother and he was like a new son to me,” she says, smiling, as she cherishes those unforgettable moments.
It has been more than ten years since Schumacher last visited Ristorante Montana, the German who was the victim of a shocking skiing accident in the French Alps in December 2013. His well-being has been largely hidden from his adoring fans and he has not been seen in public since.
Francesca, standing near a framed Schumacher racing suit, says: “It’s a tragedy.”
But the Schumacher clan has not forgotten the woman who cared so much for Michael.
Although visits have been few and far between since his son, Mick, left Ferrari’s young driver program, a trio of the pair’s racing helmets sit on a shelf above the cash register.
“Mick and his mother came to visit last year,” says Francesca, before showing a photo of the young driver giving Rossella a warm hug. The bond between the families is still deep after all these years.
The wheels continue to turn at Ristorante Montana on this gray February afternoon, as another successful evening of trading approaches.
Will a famous face make a surprise visit tonight? Leclerc is in town to promote Ferrari’s new partnership with Peroni, while there is feverish excitement in the air over the impending arrival of Lewis Hamilton – the Brit has signed a lucrative deal to join the Scuderia from 2025.
Now this quaint restaurant awaits the arrival of Lewis Hamilton when he joins the Scuderia in 2025
The seven-time world champion has never visited this Ferrari shrine, but his father, Anthony, visited many years ago, long before Hamilton started talking to the Italians about a shock swap from Mercedes.
Will Rossella’s famous tagliatelli, who follows a strict vegan diet, disappear from the menu for Hamilton?
“I’m the boss here!” jokes Rossella, excited at the prospect of cooking for the man desperately chasing a record-breaking eighth world title – a score that will see him finally eclipse her darling Schumacher. “He gets what I cook for him!”
If he’s anything like his co-stars, Hamilton won’t be able to escape the magic of this getaway.
And the secret ingredient to Ristorante Montana’s success? .
“It feels like home,” says Rossella.