Giulio Caperchi, 32, was born and raised in Rome, a city built upon seven hills. When he and his wife, Carol, 33, opened a pasta business here in a Melrose commercial kitchen, it seemed fitting to name their company Seven Hills Pasta Co. While most artisan pasta makers produce only fresh pasta, Caperchi crafts dried pasta made the old-fashioned way. He uses only two ingredients, high quality semolina and water, and pasta machines imported from Italy.

Small batches of dough are extruded through custom-made bronze dies, instead of Teflon used by large commercial brands, and then slowly air-dried. Bronze creates a rugged texture on the pasta’s surface so sauce clings to it. “Dried pasta is easier to cook al dente,” Caperchi says. Although he studied at a culinary school in Rome and worked in trattorias, it was Caperchi’s grandmother who taught him pasta making as a youngster.