BARILLA Group
The Astronaut's Pasta
BARILLA Group
The Astronaut's Pasta
Al dente goes cosmic — and makes headlines!
We turned a technological challenge into a powerful media story, strengthening Barilla’s reputation as a bridge between tradition and the future. We transformed an iconic dish into a universal symbol, proving that pasta can make you feel at home, even in space. The moment astronauts shared Barilla fusilli aboard the ISS marked the peak of a story that generated over 350 media hits and reached more than 48 million people.
Barilla took part in a historic space mission supporting the nomination of Italian cuisine for UNESCO heritage status. But the challenge was to place it at the heart of the news, crafting a story that would spark the collective imagination, capable of engaging both media and social audiences around the cultural and identity value of Italian cuisine: a heritage that constantly evolves and looks to the future.
We orchestrated a multi-phase communication plan, starting with an exclusive feature on TG1, which told the story of how the space-grade fusilli were developed in Barilla’s laboratories. The story organically gained traction across media and social platforms, building up to launch day, when the Minister of Agriculture appeared on camera proudly holding the pack of space-bound fusilli. However, the true highlight came from the astronauts themselves: Italian pasta created a genuine moment of connection aboard the ISS, proving its power to bring people together, no matter where they are, even 400 km above Earth.
Gold Award Media Relation category
Silver Award Food & Beverage category
