Puglia's nonnas go global as 'nonna-maxxing' trend takes off

The Washington Post on Sunday featured Teresa Calia, 88, and Grazia Incampo, 90, in a lifestyle article titled 'Want a good life? Try nonna-maxxing with these Italian grandmothers.' The two friends, who have known each other since childhood, are shown rolling orecchiette at a bakery in southern Italy — a scene instantly recognisable as Pugliese, where this ear-shaped pasta is a culinary emblem.

The piece is part of a broader trend in foreign media that packages Mediterranean, and specifically Southern Italian, grandmother wisdom as a wellness and life-hack resource. 'Nonna-maxxing' — a term coined online for adopting the habits of Italian grandmothers — has gained traction on social media, with videos of nonnas cooking, gardening, and offering life advice garnering millions of views.

The Washington Post article describes how Calia and Incampo have become unlikely social media stars, with visitors from as far as Japan and the United States seeking them out for pasta-making sessions. The nonnas view the attention with amused bewilderment, the piece reports, but welcome the chance to share their craft with a global audience.

Puglia's tourism officials have long marketed the region's food traditions as an authentic alternative to the crowded art cities of northern Italy. The 'nonna-maxxing' trend aligns with the rise of agriturismo experiences where visitors stay on farms and learn to make pasta, cheese, or olive oil from elderly locals. Foreign outlets including the BBC and the Guardian have previously profiled similar figures in Puglia, cementing the region's reputation as a culinary destination based on intergenerational knowledge.

The Washington Post piece stops short of offering specific travel recommendations, but its framing supports a wider shift in how international audiences perceive Southern Italy: not merely as a beach destination, but as a repository of slow living and craft food traditions. For Puglia, the trend brings a steady flow of culturally curious visitors who spend more time in small towns and with local families, helping sustain rural economies that might otherwise rely solely on seasonal coastal tourism.