Classic pasta dishes to eat in Southern Italy

Pasta dishes in Southern Italy are all about sun-soaked ingredients, sharp flavours and the kind of recipes that have been handed down in local dialects for generations. While many visitors might picture the region’s famous pizzas or gelato, the pasta here shows off some of Southern Italy's most authentic dishes.

Inventive and deeply rooted in home cooking, the best food in Southern Italy boasts tomato sauces, plenty of olive oil, seafood plucked straight from the Mediterranean, and an unashamed love of bold herbs and spices. Southern Italian pasta is much more than just penne and tomato sauce.

What makes Southern Italian pasta so different?

There’s a real swagger to Southern Italian pasta—think bold, uncomplicated recipes that contrast greatly to the rich, creamy pasta dishes of Northern Italy, or the subtler pasta specialities in Lazio and Umbria. 

Pasta in the south is all about ripe tomatoes heavy with sun, sweet local onions, fistfuls of wild herbs, and olive oil with real character. Seafood finds its way into plenty of dishes thanks to the endless coastline, while rich, spicy 'nduja and punchy cured meats turn even simple sauces into something memorable.

Another big feature is the pasta shapes themselves—like orecchiette, fileja, or scialatielli—which are rustic and perfect for catching chunky, robust sauces. And you’ll notice southern cooks aren’t shy with chilli or garlic either, giving everything a proper kick.

Top must-try pasta dishes from Southern Italy

Scialatielli ai frutti di mare (Campania/Amalfi Coast)

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Thicker and squatter than spaghetti, scialatielli is a fresh, slightly chewy pasta invented on the Amalfi Coast in the 1970s. It’s often paired with a mix of fresh seafood—clams, mussels, prawns, and sometimes squid—all tossed in a quick sauce of garlic, white wine and chopped parsley. It’s a true taste of the southern seaside, best enjoyed in a trattoria overlooking the water around Amalfi or Positano. 

Fileja 'nduja e cipolla rossa (Calabria)

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Fileja is a hand-rolled, tube-shaped pasta, ideal for catching every bit of spicy, spreadable 'nduja—Calabria’s famously fiery pork sausage. This dish adds in the region’s sweet Tropea red onions for balance, giving you a hit of chilli, smoke and sweetness with every bite. It’s bold, rustic, and very much a Calabrian local favourite, especially in the villages around Vibo Valentia.

Pasta con le sarde (Sicily)

One of Sicily’s most distinctive dishes, this pasta brings together fresh sardines, wild fennel, sultanas, pine nuts, and saffron. The result is a balance of salty, sweet, and aromatic flavours that you won’t find in any typical “Italian” restaurant outside the island. The recipe is thought to have Arab origins, and it’s a staple in Palermo’s markets, especially during spring when sardines are at their best.

Orecchiette con le braciole (Puglia/Basilicata)

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Orecchiette (“little ears”) from Puglia gets a special Sunday treatment when served with braciole: thin slices of beef, rolled and slow-cooked in a rich tomato sauce until meltingly tender. This is hearty, celebratory cooking that shows up at many a family table across both Puglia and neighbouring Basilicata, especially in Bari’s old town and rural villages.

Pasta alla Norma (Sicily)

A true icon of Sicilian cooking, pasta alla Norma is a tribute to the island’s sun-drenched produce. The dish, which hails from Catania, combines chunks of fried aubergine with a simple, rich tomato and basil sauce, all finished with a generous grating of salty ricotta salata. It’s named after the opera Norma, by the Catanian composer Vincenzo Bellini, and you’ll find it on almost every menu in eastern Sicily.

Spaghetti all’assassina (Bari, Puglia)

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This one is for anyone who loves a bit of heat and texture. Spaghetti all’assassina, or “assassin’s spaghetti,” is a cult classic from Bari. What makes it unique is the cooking method: the dry spaghetti is cooked directly in a pan with a fiery tomato, garlic and chilli sauce until the liquid evaporates and the pasta starts to fry, becoming deliciously caramelised and crispy in parts.