Authentic Italian pasta

Regional cooking.
Properly told.

Twelve starting points for understanding how local shapes, ingredients and methods turn pasta into distinct traditions.

Explore pasta across Italy

A boot-shaped pantry.

Choose a region to see its pasta character, then open the complete crawlable guide.

Interactive map of Italy's pasta regionsA stylised recognisable outline of Italy with accessible links positioned by region.
Rome

Lazio

Explore Lazio pasta traditions, from cacio e pepe and carbonara to Amatriciana, with regional ingredients, shapes and related recipes.

Known dishesCacio e pepeCarbonaraAmatriciana
Open the Lazio guide →
All regional guides

Choose by place.

The visual map supplements these normal links. Every region remains accessible to keyboards, touch, screen readers and search engines.

01

Lombardy

Milan

Pizzoccheri della Valtellina · Casoncelli alla Bergamasca · Tortelli di zucca

02

Sardinia

Cagliari

Malloreddus alla Campidanese · Fregola con arselle · Culurgiones d'Ogliastra

03

Piedmont

Turin

Agnolotti del plin · Tajarin al ragù · Agnolotti with roast juices

04

Abruzzo

L'Aquila

Chitarra alla Teramana · Sagne e fagioli · Maccheroni alla molinara

05

Lazio

Rome

Cacio e pepe · Carbonara · Amatriciana

06

Emilia-Romagna

Bologna

Tagliatelle al ragù · Lasagne verdi · Tortellini in brodo

07

Liguria

Genoa

Trofie al pesto · Trenette al pesto · Pansotti with walnut sauce

08

Puglia

Bari

Orecchiette alle cime di rapa · Ciceri e tria · Spaghetti all’assassina

09

Campania

Naples

Aglio e olio · Puttanesca · Pasta al limone

10

Sicily

Palermo

Pasta alla Norma · Pasta con le sarde · Pesto Trapanese

11

Tuscany

Florence

Pappardelle al cinghiale · Pici all’aglione · Pappardelle ai funghi

12

Veneto

Venice

Bigoli in salsa · Bigoli with duck ragù · Pasta e fasioi

Cook the regions

35 Italian recipes in the library.

Tradition comes first. Local substitutions are explained separately and never passed off as the original ingredient.

Glossy spaghetti carbonara with guanciale and black pepper in a dark ceramic bowl
Lazio · Roman classic

Spaghetti Carbonara

Silky eggs, Pecorino Romano and crisp guanciale — no cream, no shortcuts, and a calm method that keeps the sauce glossy.

30 minModerateServes 4
Tonnarelli cacio e pepe with black pepper in a pale handmade bowl
Lazio · Four ingredients

Cacio e Pepe

A peppery Roman pasta with a smooth Pecorino emulsion and zero clumps.

20 minModerateServes 4
Bucatini all amatriciana in a terracotta bowl with tomato sauce and guanciale
Lazio · Amatrice

Bucatini all’Amatriciana

Tomato, guanciale and Pecorino cling to hollow bucatini in this focused central Italian classic.

40 minEasyServes 4
Spaghetti aglio e olio with sliced garlic chilli and parsley on a sunlit ceramic plate
Campania · pantry classic

Spaghetti Aglio e Olio

Garlic, olive oil, chilli and parsley coat spaghetti in a sauce that rewards calm heat and good timing.

20 minEasyServes 4
Penne all arrabbiata in vivid tomato chilli sauce on a pale limestone table
Lazio · Roman heat

Penne all’Arrabbiata

A direct Roman tomato sauce with garlic and chilli, finished with parsley and enough heat to justify its name.

30 minEasyServes 4
Rigatoni alla Norma with aubergine tomato basil and ricotta salata in a rustic bowl
Sicily · Catania

Pasta alla Norma

Fried aubergine, tomato, basil and ricotta salata come together in one of Sicily’s defining pasta dishes.

55 minModerateServes 4
Spaghetti alla puttanesca with olives capers and tomato on a dark ceramic plate
Campania · bold pantry sauce

Spaghetti alla Puttanesca

Tomato, olives, capers and anchovies make a salty, lively sauce with no need for a long simmer.

30 minEasyServes 4
Trofie pasta with bright basil pesto green beans and potato in a handmade green bowl
Liguria · Genoa

Trofie al Pesto Genovese

Fresh basil pesto coats twisted trofie with potato and green beans in the Ligurian manner.

35 minModerateServes 4
Tagliatelle al ragu with slow cooked meat sauce and Parmesan on a warm timber table
Emilia-Romagna · Bologna

Tagliatelle al Ragù

A slow beef and pork ragù served with broad egg tagliatelle, where the pasta matters as much as the sauce.

180 minModerateServes 6
Rustic pasta e ceci with chickpeas rosemary and small pasta in a terracotta bowl
Central Italy · pasta and chickpeas

Pasta e Ceci

Chickpeas and small pasta share one rosemary-scented pot, landing somewhere between soup and sauce.

40 minEasyServes 4
Silky linguine al limone with lemon zest and Parmesan in a pale blue ceramic bowl
Campania · bright and silky

Pasta al Limone

Lemon zest, butter and Parmesan make a fragrant sauce that stays light when the emulsion is handled gently.

25 minModerateServes 4
Spaghetti alle vongole with open clams parsley and garlic on a pale coastal plate
Campania · coastal classic

Spaghetti alle Vongole

Clams, garlic, parsley and white wine make a clean, briny sauce that belongs on hot spaghetti, not at the bottom of the bowl.

40 minModerateServes 4
Orecchiette with broccoli rabe anchovy crumbs and chilli in an ivory bowl
Puglia · bitter greens

Orecchiette alle Cime di Rapa

Orecchiette, broccoli rabe, anchovy, garlic and chilli create a Puglian bowl built on bitterness rather than sweetness.

35 minModerateServes 4
Thick pasta e fagioli with borlotti beans small pasta and rosemary in a rustic bowl
Italy · regional bean pot

Pasta e Fagioli

Borlotti beans, small pasta and rosemary meet in a thick, spoonable dish shared by several Italian regions.

50 minEasyServes 6
Spaghetti alla Nerano with fried baby marrow basil and grated aged cheese
Campania · Sorrento peninsula

Spaghetti alla Nerano

Fried baby marrow and aged provolone melt into a silky Campanian sauce whose pale colour hides a demanding technique.

55 minModerateServes 4
Small tortellini in clear golden broth with Parmigiano in a refined white bowl
Emilia-Romagna · festive broth

Tortellini in Brodo

Tiny meat-filled tortellini float in clear, deeply flavoured broth in this patient special-occasion dish.

180 minModerateServes 6
Sicilian bucatini with sardines fennel raisins and toasted breadcrumbs
Sicily · fennel and sardines

Pasta con le Sarde

Sardines, wild fennel, raisins and saffron make one of Sicily's most distinctive sweet-savoury pasta dishes.

55 minModerateServes 4
Glossy spaghetti alla gricia with crisp guanciale Pecorino and black pepper
Lazio · Roman foundation

Spaghetti alla Gricia

Guanciale, Pecorino and black pepper coat spaghetti in the tomato-free ancestor of Amatriciana.

30 minModerateServes 4
Buckwheat pizzoccheri with cabbage potato melted cheese and sage in a stone bowl
Lombardy · Alpine buckwheat

Pizzoccheri della Valtellina

Buckwheat ribbons, potato, cabbage, butter and mountain cheese make a substantial pasta from the Valtellina valley.

55 minModerateServes 6
Malloreddus alla Campidanese with sausage tomato saffron and grated Pecorino
Sardinia · saffron and sausage

Malloreddus alla Campidanese

Ridged Sardinian gnocchetti carry a tomato and fresh sausage ragù scented with saffron and finished with Pecorino.

60 minEasyServes 6
Neat slice of green lasagne alla Bolognese with fine ragù and béchamel layers
Emilia-Romagna · Traditional bake

Lasagne alla Bolognese

Green pasta sheets, slow ragù, béchamel and Parmigiano form restrained, distinct layers in Bologna's celebrated baked pasta.

210 minModerateServes 8
Rigatoni alla Norcina with crumbled sausage Pecorino and black pepper
Umbria · Norcia sausage pasta

Pasta alla Norcina

Fresh sausage, white wine, garlic and Pecorino coat short pasta in a restrained Umbrian cream sauce with black pepper.

35 minModerateServes 4
Thick hand-rolled pici pasta in bright tomato and gentle garlic sauce
Tuscany · Val di Chiana

Pici all'Aglione

Thick hand-rolled pici meet a gentle fresh-tomato sauce perfumed with aglione-style garlic and a little chilli.

75 minModerateServes 4
Gnocchi alla Sorrentina with tomato basil and bubbling mozzarella in terracotta
Campania · Baked gnocchi

Gnocchi alla Sorrentina

Potato gnocchi, tomato, basil, fiordilatte and Parmigiano bubble in a shallow dish until the cheese just bronzes.

50 minModerateServes 4
Bucatini with golden cauliflower raisins pine nuts and toasted breadcrumbs
Sicily · Palermo classic

Pasta con Broccoli Arriminati

Cauliflower, saffron, anchovy, raisins and pine nuts create Palermo's sweet-savoury sauce for bucatini.

50 minModerateServes 4
Rigatoni alla zozzona with tomato sausage guanciale and Pecorino
Lazio · Roman trattoria pasta

Pasta alla Zozzona

Sausage, guanciale, tomato, egg yolk and Pecorino combine in a deliberately abundant Roman rigatoni.

45 minModerateServes 4
Thick bigoli pasta coated with soft golden onion and anchovy sauce
Veneto · Onion and anchovy

Bigoli in Salsa

Slowly softened onion and anchovy cling to thick bigoli in a spare Venetian pasta traditionally associated with lean days.

45 minEasyServes 4
Broken ziti coated in slow cooked amber onion and beef Genovese sauce
Campania · Naples onion ragù

Ziti alla Genovese

Beef and a remarkable quantity of onion cook down into Naples' amber, tomato-light Genovese sauce for broken ziti.

230 minModerateServes 6
Thick Italian pasta e lenticchie with ditalini brown lentils vegetables and parsley
Southern Italy · Pasta and lentils

Pasta e Lenticchie

Small pasta cooks with lentils, vegetables and olive oil into a thick, spoonable dish rather than a sauce ladled over noodles.

55 minEasyServes 4
Creamy pasta e patate with mixed short pasta potato cubes tomato and parsley
Southern Italy · Pasta and potatoes

Pasta e Patate

Potato cubes and mixed short pasta cook together until starch creates a creamy, sustaining dish without cream.

45 minEasyServes 4
Neapolitan pasta e piselli with ditalini green peas Pecorino and black pepper
Naples · Pasta and peas

Pasta e Piselli

Ditalini and peas cook in one pot with onion and Pecorino until sweet, green and lightly creamy.

30 minEasyServes 4
Bari-style spaghetti all Assassina with charred crisp edges tomato and chilli
Bari · Toasted, fiery spaghetti

Spaghetti all’Assassina

Spaghetti cooks risotto-style in a frying pan with tomato and chilli until parts become dark, crisp and intensely savoury.

35 minModerateServes 4
Curled gramigna pasta with crumbled sausage light tomato cream sauce and Parmesan
Emilia-Romagna · Sausage pasta

Gramigna alla Salsiccia

Curled gramigna and fresh sausage meet in a restrained cream and tomato sauce from Emilia-Romagna.

35 minEasyServes 4
Filled ravioli in brown butter with crisp sage Parmigiano and black pepper
Northern Italian simplicity

Ravioli with Butter and Sage

Filled ravioli are coated in nutty brown butter, crisp sage and Parmigiano with careful timing that protects every parcel.

20 minModerateServes 4
Sicilian pasta alla carrettiera with spaghetti garlic parsley chilli and Pecorino
Sicily · Garlic, chilli and Pecorino

Pasta alla Carrettiera

Spaghetti meets raw garlic, parsley, chilli, Pecorino and olive oil in a bold Sicilian pantry sauce mixed away from direct heat.

20 minEasyServes 4
Italian pasta ingredients arranged on a stone work surface
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