Signora Lauretti

A Life Dedicated to the Flavours of Sanremo

Anyone who wanders through the narrow lanes of Sanremo’s old town will often notice it: the clinking of small glasses, the rustle of paper bags, the friendly “Buongiorno!” from a shop that has kept its doors open for generations. Right here, on a quiet corner of Via Solaro, you’ll find Signora Lauretti. An elderly lady with a warm smile, a calm presence, and a serenity that only those who have spent their entire lives in the same streets can possess.

Her shop—a small delicatessen offering traditional Ligurian specialties—has been in the family for more than eighty years. Her grandfather opened it shortly after the war, back then as a simple bottega where olives, fresh pasta, and marinated artichokes were weighed individually and carefully wrapped in paper. What began back then is carried on today by Signora Lauretti with the same devotion, as if time has slowed a little inside her shop.

As soon as you step into her shop, you’re greeted by the aromas of dried herbs, homemade pasta, and preserved vegetables. Behind the counter stand large jars of pesto, Taggiasca olives, and preserved lemons—many of them still made exactly the way her mother taught her. “Good recipes don’t need changing,” she says with a smile. And you believe every word.

Signora Lauretti is a woman who sells not only products, but memories. For many locals, her shop is a piece of childhood—a place they once visited with their grandmother to buy Sunday ravioli, and where she still knows today who prefers which type of pasta. For visitors, on the other hand, it is one of those rare places you never forget, because it embodies the true spirit of Sanremo: down-to-earth, warm, and rich in history.

But it’s not just the shop that makes this place special—it’s Signora Lauretti herself. She welcomes every guest with a warmth that cannot be put on. She often asks where you’re from, what you’re planning to do in Sanremo, and whether you’re looking for something specific. She loves recommending just the right thing, and of course every product comes with a small story: why the olives from the hills above Sanremo are the best, which pesto tastes most like her childhood, or which type of pasta she serves at home on special occasions.

Her day begins early. Even before sunrise, she is in the small kitchen behind the shop, preparing fresh trofie and fettuccine. Many of her products come from local small-scale farmers she has known for decades. Switching to mass-produced goods was never an option for her. “If I put my name on it, it has to be honest,” she says. In every jar and in every portion of pasta, there is a piece of her own story.

Despite her age, Signora Lauretti has no intention of stopping. The shop keeps her young, as she likes to say. The conversations, the customers, the small moments of everyday life—all of this gives her strength. And she is proud that the next generation is already helping out: on some Saturdays, her granddaughter stands behind the counter, learning how to shape traditional Ligurian pasta using only her fingertips.

Anyone who visits Sanremo in search of something genuine should stop by here. Not simply to buy something, but to experience a piece of the local soul. Signora Lauretti shows just how much heart there is in small shops that shape the character of a city. A visit to her is more than a purchase—it’s an encounter with someone who lives and breathes Sanremo and keeps it alive through her work, day after day.

If you visit her, she may say: “Take your time. Good things should never be chosen in a hurry.” And that is exactly her secret—a sense of pace, a smile, and a warmth you only find in shops that have a story. A story like that of Signora Lauretti.

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