How did two Italian grandmothers conquer Instagram?

The story begins with an image of experienced hands guiding the fingers of a novice to boldly roll out the focaccia dough on a tray just before tomatoes and garlic sit on the bread with plenty of olive oil and go into the wood-fired oven. The master of this work is Graziella Incampo. At the age of 89, he and his old friend Teresa Calia, 88, have taken over Instagram. These two people have drawn tourists to the oldest bakery in the region with their videos. (CNN)

The videos of two Italian grandmothers are full of happy and strange moments; From dancing to electronic music and playing guitar to making giant sandwiches with cheese and local ham. They even wear war helmets, goggles and beat eggs with an electric drill in their cooking classes as a joke!

All these events take place in an old courtyard with a vaulted ceiling, right in front of a bakery. This bakery, which was established in the year 686 (1307 AD) in the city of “Altamura”, organizes tours called “Bread Experience” which is a combination of history, bakery and medicinal plants.

Photographer: Unknown / www.wetheitalians.com

The line at the bakery sometimes gets so crowded that it reaches the main street, and when the wait is long, the grandmothers greet the people waiting with a tray of fresh crackers until they get tired.

Many tourists find this bakery on Instagram and travel just to see it. Visitors talk enthusiastically about meeting these grandmothers or “nonnas”; Grandmothers who have 45 grandchildren together.

Interestingly, all these adventures started in 1402 (2023) and first as a joke. Giacomo Barattini, in order not to close the old bakery of the city, reopened it and started filming his great aunt and her friend with his iPhone. The grandmothers liked it so much that now making videos has become their daily pastime.

Photographer: Giacomo Barattini/CNN

The secret of these two grandmothers’ success lies in their constant laughter and their simple philosophy: “little things are good”. He decided to combine this cheerful look with traditional dishes. Now their daily schedule is that Giacomo asks them what they would like to do today and it turns into a video; Be it cooking or congratulatory messages.

Thanks to these videos, these two people have now become the unofficial ambassadors of the city of Altamura in Puglia. These two stars, who grew up in the village, know the real taste of food.

Tourists enjoyed watching old ovens and cheese making; But some of them fail in the main challenge of making Orecchiette pasta.

Photographer: Unknown / www.italpasta.com

Shaping orecchiette pasta, known as “small ears”, is a special concern, and the grandmothers, who are sensitive to quality, firmly discouraged them from continuing the work when they saw the poor result of their work. Finally, their tour ends with a visit to the Pradoye market and a tasting of the famous local cheese.

One of the most attractive parts of the bazaar is the stall of a man known for his loud voice and herbal medicine, he also sells snails. He is so hospitable that when tourists ask how to cook snails, he simply invites them to his house for dinner and eat his wife’s home cooking!

This intimacy is the true soul of Altamura. In the evenings, all people come to the street for a walk. In these walks, old men discuss politics and young people have fun and everyone spends time in the style they like. At night, the tourists leave and the city returns to its native atmosphere.

Photographer: unknown / www.index.hr

Grandma’s cooking always has a magical flavor that cannot be found anywhere else. Which of your grandmother’s food would you not trade for the world? Write your comments for us and other audiences.