Everyone enjoys a good pasta dish, but there's just so many types to choose from. Pack your suitcase and set off to discover some of the most popular and typical pasta dishes in Italy, region by region, those specialties that are immediately associated with a specific location.
There are many recipes and types of pasta that are found in more than one region, and it wasn't easy to select just one dish per region, considering the great quantity of delicacies and traditional foods that Italy has to offer! Grab a fork and dive in to the best Italian pasta meals!
1. Favò - Val d'Aosta
Half way between pasta dish and soup is the favò, a typical recipe originating in the Valle d'Aosta. It's a tasty dish based on broad beans and sausages, cooked together with black bread toasted in butter, bacon and Fontina cheese, then used as a sauce for pasta. It's normally better to use a short type of pasta for this.
2. Spätzle - Trentino Alto Adige
The famous dumplings of Lower Germany are also widespread in Switzerland, France, Tyrol and Trentino. It is a mixture of wheat flour, buckwheat, water and eggs (to which milk is sometimes added), which is dropped into broth or salted water using a special tool similar to a flat grater, which gives the distinctive shape to the gnocchetto. There is also a green variant that uses spinach, the spinatspäztle, traditionally seasoned with butter, cheese and speck, formerly prepared with wild spinach and wild herbs.
3. Risotto with truffle - Piedmont
In the Piedmont area, rice is more common than pasta and truffle is a very valuable local product too. We can't not mention the white truffle risotto of Piedmont, then, a specialty dish characterised by its simple preparation of just a few quality ingredients, but that certainly leaves the palate more than satisfied anyway. Enjoy this gourmet dish!
4. Saffron Risotto - Lombardia
Also called Risotto alla Milanese, this is one of the most typical northern Italian dishes. This is a great Italian classic and the best accompaniment of the Ossobuco veal shank. It is a risotto whose main ingredient, apart from those necessary to prepare a risotto in white, is saffron, from which derives its characteristic yellow colour.
5. Trofie al pesto - Liguria
Typical pasta of the Ligurian cuisine, the trofie are thin and elongated, curled on themselves, and are made of flour and potatoes. The typical condiment for this pasta is pesto, also a strictly Ligurian product. To complete the masterpiece, some variations of pasta with pesto also include the addition of boiled potatoes and green beans, called Trofie alla genovese.
6. Risi e bisi - Veneto
Risi e bisi is a great classic of Italian cuisine that was born in the region whose capital is Venice, but it's so good that it spread throughout all Italy. A first course halfway between risotto and soup with a unique taste: here the bisi, that is the peas, are first browned in a pan with oil, bacon and onion, and then paired with the risi, the rice.
7. Cjarsons - Friuli-Venezia Giulia
The cjalsons are traditional Friulian ravioli. The filling is enclosed in a fresh pasta with water, very elastic and perfect for this filling. Finally, the ravioli are served with melted butter and toasted corn flour. There are an infinite number of possible fillings - there are those who add pear or cherry jam, some add apple cut into cubes, some with grated chocolate, crumbled biscuit, and even field herbs.
8. Tortellini in brodo - Emilia-Romagna
The tortellino was originally born in a poor environment to "recycle" the meat from the table of nobles. On 7th December 1974, the Confraternita del Tortellino and the Italian Academy of the Kitchen filed the official recipe for the filling of tortellini at the Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Handicraft and Agriculture of Bologna. It prescribes, inside a flour and egg pasta sheet six tenths of a millimetre thick, a filling prepared with pork loin, raw ham, Bologna mortadella, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, eggs and nutmeg. The tortellini, according to the Bolognese tradition, should be cooked and eaten strictly in a good broth of capon or chicken.
9. Pici - Tuscany
Water, flour, oil, salt and sometimes a little bit of semolina: this is the mixture of ingredients that gives life to the pici, irregular spaghetti obtained from a rather thick sheet, from which you get rhombuses that are then rolled on a pastry board, to be finally stretched with the hands until you get these thick and rough strands of dough. They are cooked in different ways depending on the area: in duck sauce, garlic and oil ("pici all'aglione"), with sausage sauce in Montalcino, and sometimes also enriched with mushrooms.
10. Vincisgrassi - Marche
In the Marche region, they don't eat lasagna, they eat the vincisgrassi! This traditional first course is a baked pasta dish composed of several layers, seasoned with grated Parmesan cheese and a special meat sauce made with different types of meat. Vincisgrassi is a very rustic and traditional dish, with every family having its own recipe. Some make it with bechamel sauce, others prepare a fresh pasta flavoured with marsala or cooked wine, others even add the cockscombs and other offal into the sauce.
11. Strozzapreti alla norcina - Umbria
A traditional Umbrian dish, the strozzapreti alla norcina is a tasty and substantial specialty. The name of this pasta derives from Norcia, a place from which one of the fundamental ingredients in its preparation comes: the sausages. Don't despair, though, if can't find sausages from here, because even using sausages from different locations, this dish is just as good.
12. Bucatini alla carbonara - Lazio
The recipe of spaghetti alla carbonara is typical of Lazio and is appreciated all over the world thanks to its simplicity and tasty goodness! A creamy and succulent dish whose main ingredients are eggs, pecorino cheese, pancetta or bacon and a touch of black pepper. The typical pasta involves the use of spaghetti, although this sauce can easily go hand in hand with other types of pasta, including fettuccine, rigatoni and bucatini.
13. Spaghetti alla chitarra - Abruzzo
This dish is a symbol of the gastronomy of Abruzzo. To make it, they use a special tool called a guitar. The sheet of pasta is placed above the guitar and pressed with a rolling, pin making it slide forward and backward, so that the threads of the guitar cut the dough into macaroni. This gives the pasta a squared thickness and a porous consistency that allows the sauce to full cling on and soak in. The maccheroni alla chitarra are generally prepared with a mixed ragù of beef, pork and lamb.
14. Cavatelli - Molise
Durum wheat semolina and water are the two ingredients of Cavatelli, a type of pasta of typically Molise origin, characterised by an elongated shape with a slit on the inside. There are loads of ways to make it: either with meat sauce, with sausage or with vegetables. Broccoli is a particularly popular choice, for example. With all these options, you just have to choose the one that best suits your tastes.
15. Ziti napoletani - Campania
Ziti is a type of durum wheat pasta, elongated and tubular. It starts out as long pasta but the culinary tradition of southern Italy requires them to be broken by hand before cooking them. Ziti are ideal for preparing baked timbales and pies. The Neapolitan way is to snap them into four pieces and season with thick and full-bodied sauces, like Neapolitan meat sauce, the most famous of all Neapolitan cuisine, which is prepared with different types of meat cut into chunks and cooked slowly in a tomato sauce over very low heat.
16. Ravioli alla potentina - Basilicata
The cuisine of Basilicata, a land of peasants and shepherds, is closely linked to the resources that the territory provides. This 'ravioli alla potentina' is a typical recipe of the area of the potentino. It's a standard Sunday or party dish, the equivalent of a roast dinner. The squares of pasta filled with ham, parsley and ricotta, are usually dressed with sheep meat sauce.
17. Orecchiette - Apulia
The orecchiette is an ear-shaped pasta originating in the beautiful southern Puglian region of Italy. There are many things you can put with this pasta, but the most traditional is the topping with turnip tops or broccoli. This recipe is really fast to prepare and full of flavour!
18. Rigatoni alla silana - Calabria
The rigatoni alla silana are a typical Calabrian recipe, rich and robust, which uses all the tastiest products of this region, including spicy sausage and chili. A hearty dish, tasty and... a little spicy! For those who aren't big fans of spicy food, better not to overdo the pepper.
19. Pasta alla norma - Sicily
Pasta alla Norma is one of the most famous Sicilian dishes. This Catanese specialty is a tribute to the work "Norma" by Vincenzo Bellini. Pasta alla Norma is a dish made of pasta, usually macaroni, topped with tomato and with the subsequent addition of fried aubergines, ricotta salata cheese and basil.
20. Malloreddus - Sardinia
Little Sardinian gnocchi, or malloreddus, are the most famous type of pasta from Sardinia. Small in size and shaped like a striped shell, this pasta can be seasoned in various ways, but the Malloreddus alla Campidanese are certainly one of the most popular. With tomato sauce, sausage and pecorino cheese, it makes for an explosion of taste and flavour! There is also a heavier version with tomato sauce and meat, either lamb or beef.
If you enjoyed taking a little "Giro d'Italia" in 20 pasta dishes, region by region, we suggest you take a look at the 10 typical Italian dishes that you must try!
The best cities in Europe 2024: Rome ranks fourth
Good news for the city of Rome. The Italian capital occupies fourth place in the ranking of the 'Europe's Best Cities Report' published by the international consulting firm Resonance. This is no small achievement, especially considering the fact that last year, in 2023, the city occupied eighth place. This means that in the space of a year, the city has leapt up four places. This is everything you need to know about the best cities in Europe in 2024.
The best Italian lakes for families
Embark on a journey to the heart of Italy, where crystal-clear waters embrace the grandeur of the Alps and rolling hills. The Italian lakes are sanctuaries of natural beauty and paradises for families seeking an unforgettable escape. Let's unveil the charm of each lake, with its unique personality and attractions that captivate both young adventurers and parents seeking relaxation. These are the best Italian lakes for families.
The best Italian lakes to visit
Clear blue waters so evocative and so romantic that sometimes they don't seem real… welcome to the most beautiful lakes in Italy to visit in 2024.
Italy's 6 sunniest cities in 2024: find out where they are
Italy is the land of the sun: its geographical position allows for many days of sunshine per year in both the South and the North. However, for meteorological reasons, some cities boast more hours of sunshine than others. According to the magazine Holidu, which has compiled a ranking of sunshine hours in the country's main urban centres, these are the sunniest cities in Italy.
The best rural places to live in Italy
Embark on a journey through Italy's heartland, where the serene rhythms of rural life blend with cultural treasures and breathtaking scenery. This guide is your compass to the most idyllic rural places to live in Italy, tailored for expatriates, nature lovers, and those seeking the golden calm of retirement.
