By Paolo Sebastiani
In the heart of the Mediavalle, in the municipality of Pescaglia, there is a place where hospitality is not just a profession, but a living memory, a family story and a deep bond with the territory. It is the Molin della Volpe, now led by three siblings – Susy, Luca and Serena Fanucchi – who have carried on and evolved their parents’ legacy.
The story begins in 1985, when mom and dad opened their first restaurant, “Le Castagne”, not far from here. It is there that the three brothers grow up, breathing the rhythm of the kitchen and the dining room from an early age. “We were children, but we were always inside the restaurant,” they say. A childhood made up of scents, daily gestures and silent teachings, which over time have turned into a life choice.
In 2001 the decisive step arrived: the Molin della Volpe was born, in its current location. The name is not accidental: it derives from the locality and the same building that now houses the restaurant, an ancient mill that later became a paper mill. A place that brings with it layers of history, just like the kitchen found there today.
In 2025, the family celebrated forty years of overall activity and this year they will celebrate twenty-five years of the current restaurant. An important milestone, built on clear values: work, passion and above all a strong attachment to the territory.
“This is the most important thing that our parents passed on to us,” they explain. A bond that translates into concrete gestures: personally going to collect wild herbs, keeping family recipes, choosing local and seasonal raw materials. The cuisine of Molin della Volpe was born from here, from a tradition that is not nostalgia, but living identity.
The dishes tell this story. The tortelli lucchesi, still prepared as they once were, are a symbol of the house. Gnocchi with langoustines, present since the time of the Chestnuts, have become a staple, so much so that “they cannot be removed”: generations of customers have grown up with them. And then the soups, which follow the rhythm of the seasons – from lean soup to garmugia – and local products, such as trout or mushrooms, processed only when available.
The key word is authenticity. “Our cuisine is traditional, sincere, but also ambitious,” they explain. Ambitious because today, rather than inventing, the real challenge is to rediscover forgotten flavors, educate the palate to recognize quality, enhance even the less “noble” cuts of meat, respecting the animal and gastronomic culture.
Each of the three brothers has found their own role: Susy welcomes guests into the dining room, Serena leads the kitchen and Luca takes care of fresh pasta and pizza. An organization that combines different skills, also enriched by specific training courses, such as hotel school and continuous refresher courses. “We didn’t have the opportunity to work in many kitchens – says Serena – and so we sought confrontation and growth in other ways, studying, taking courses, talking to other professionals”.
Over time, the kitchen has evolved. The recipes have been lightened, made more current, while keeping their soul intact. Ancient ingredients, such as chestnut flour, are reinterpreted in new forms: pies, ravioli, flan. The meat proposal has also expanded, including game and preparations less common for the area.
But the focus is always on the raw material. The restaurant collaborates with small local producers, selecting cheeses, vegetables and wines – for 80% of the Lucca area, often organic or biodynamic. A choice that also involves difficulties, especially in terms of continuity, but which represents a precise stance: favoring quality and seasonality over comfort.
“If a product isn’t there, you wait,” they say. It is a philosophy that is also reflected in the menu, which is constantly moving. Some dishes remain, others change, following the availability of ingredients and the inspiration of the moment. A balance that is not always easy, especially with a loyal clientele who loves to rediscover known flavors, but also to be surprised.
And it is precisely the customers who are an integral part of the history of Molin della Volpe. After so many years, the relationship goes beyond that between restaurateur and guest: it becomes familiar. “We see people growing: from baptisms to weddings, up to anniversaries. It is a story that is intertwined with ours”. There are those who always return to the same table, those who choose the restaurant for every important moment of their lives. Signs of an authentic bond, built over time.
The experience that the three brothers want to offer is simple and profound: to make people feel “at home, but followed”. A familiar, welcoming environment, where the quality of food goes hand in hand with that of relationships.
Even in events, such as weddings and celebrations, this identity remains central. The structure is experienced as a private home, with indoor and outdoor spaces that integrate and a gastronomic proposal that enhances the territory, far from the standardization of large caterers.
In an increasingly fast and homologated world of hospitality, the Molin della Volpe represents a precise choice: that of substance, consistency and memory. A cuisine that changes, evolves, but never loses its starting point. Because, as Susy, Luca and Serena teach, the future also – and above all – passes through the ability to preserve the past.
Info: Ristorante Molin della Volpe, Località Molino della Volpe, Gello (Lu) / Tel. 0583 359045 / info@molindellavolpe.it
