Vesuvian - paste with soul

Francesco is in love with Portugal: "a small country where everything works, the ingredients are good. It's a slightly more rustic life here, simpler, in a good way."

Less than two years ago, an Italian restaurant opened in the neighborhood that has always amazed us with its difference and attention to detail. It's called Vesuviano and it's in Rua Ferreira Borges.

Today we chose the duck and orange ravioli and decided to sit down for a chat with Francesco who told us about the history of his restaurant.

Francesco is Italian but grew up in Brazil. He lived there for 15 years: "I like to say that my heart is Brazilian, but my palate and my blood are Italian."

He then returned to Italy, where he worked a lot in the kitchen and always wanted to open his own business with a pasta concept, ravioli. "But selling pasta to Italians is like selling wool to sheep, it doesn't work." Life took him to the right place: Portugal. "The trip to Portugal, which was supposed to last a month, when it was over, I went back to Italy and in seven days I was back with my suitcase ready to live here."

He's been here for three years, first meeting and working in various places and then opening his own space. "I really fell in love with this country and put all my money here, I have no intention of leaving."

Francesco is in love with Portugal, "a small country where everything works, the ingredients are good. It's a slightly more rustic life here, simpler, in a good way."

"I have an idea of where I'll be in 30 years. I want to live on a farm, that's my dream. To have my own goats and make my own cheese. To live in the countryside. Lisbon has a quality that few cities have, it's a European capital that you can live in the middle of the woods in half an hour by car."

"The Portuguese got it right. They kept the good traditions, but they also accepted the good innovations."

Francesco, too, got it right: he kept the traditional Italian recipes and innovated in the presentation and concept of pasta and ravioli.

"If in 30 years' time I can live on my little farm and still sell pasta in Lisbon, I'm a complete man, a happy man."

And we're happy to keep eating your pasta!