Italy’s iconic pasta canon stretches far beyond spaghetti and stuffed ravioli to include lesser-known nobles bearing distinctive textures and capabilities. On this tour, we unearth 9 regional noodle treasures that let their ingredient partners truly shine. These heirloom pasta made from old world techniques deliver joy with every bite.
Orecchiette - Puglia
Its name meaning “little ears,” orecchiette’s shallow divots and chewy-soft texture makes it the perfect match for chunky vegetable sauces or meat ragu without drowning ingredients. Expect it paired with rapini or turnip tops in Puglia.
Picchi Pacchiu - Sicily
Hailing from Sicily, this curly short pasta features ruffled edges that provide plenty of nooks for catching tomato sauce, pesto or eggplant caponata specialties from the island. Its bite-sized tube shape brings fun slurping potential too.
Torchio - Lombardy
This ridged pasta shaped like a sausage links up elements of pappardelle’s wide noodles with rigatoni’s grooves. Its large surface area allows both cream and meat sauces to cling nicely. Torchio hails from Lombardy, so try it with bone marrow or braised beef dishes.
Mafalda - Abruzzo
With ruffled edges mimicking delicate Italian lace patterns, mafalda noodles work wonderfully in brothy soups. These flat ribbons allow for slurping spoonfuls of vegetables and chickpeas bathed in light tomato-based vegetable broth.
Pizzoccheri - Lombardy + Valtellina
Thick flat ribbons made from buckwheat flour give this unusual noodle its nutty flavor and chewy texture. Pizzoccheri makes the most of alpine ingredients - typically tossed with cabbage, potatoes and Italian mountain cheeses like Bitto or Valtellina Casera.
Tagliatelle - Emilia-Romagna + Marche
Nothing spotlights supreme sauces better than tagliatelle’s long, wide egg noodles. Its silky smooth ribbons beautifully twirl around Bolognese meat sauce, smooth Parmesan-spiked fonduta, or lemon-cream based seafood creations found along the Adriatic coast.
Trofie - Liguria
This thin twisted pasta shaped by hand bears loads of nooks and crannies for catching the phenomenal pestos of Liguria - think basil, walnut or wild herb variations. Trofie also excels at marrying flavors of sea and land, tossed with green beans and potatoes or chickpeas with mussels.
Mandilli di Seta - Liguria
Shaped like little handkerchiefs, these flat sheets of pasta infused with wine best slurp up seafood stew overflowing with tuna, swordfish or shrimp bathed in herby white wine tomato broth. Basil leaves on top add a pop of color and freshness when serving.
Paccheri - Campania
Hailing from Naples, these large tubular pastas resemble smooth rigatoni but with fluted ends. Paccheri's oversized shape and ridges grab rich, slow-cooked ragus along with meatballs or sausages and melted cheese. A couples bites convey Campania’s hearty cuisine in one mouthful bursts.
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