By region

Italian pasta sauces by region

Every Italian pasta sauce has a home region. Every tradition has a story. Knowing where it comes from makes it taste better.

Lazio

Rome and its hinterland. The home of Carbonara, Amatriciana, Cacio e Pepe, and Gricia. Four Roman pasta sauces that the city guards with fierce possessiveness.

14 sauces→

Liguria

A narrow coastal strip between the Alps and the sea. The microclimate produces the world's finest basil, and Pesto alla Genovese, Genoa's pasta sauce, is its proudest export.

2 sauces→

La Grassa, the Fat. The richest culinary territory in Italy. Bolognese ragù, Lasagne, Parmigiano Reggiano, Mortadella, Prosciutto di Parma. The greatest Italian pasta sauces and ingredients, all from one region.

4 sauces→

Campania

The volcanic region centred on Naples, where the tomato reigns supreme. Birthplace of Marinara, Puttanesca, and Vongole, the classic Neapolitan pasta sauces, and home to the San Marzano tomato.

9 sauces→

Sicilia

Mediterranean island shaped by centuries of Arab, Norman, Greek, and Spanish rule. Home to Pasta alla Norma and Pasta con le Sarde, bold sweet Sicilian pasta sauces unlike anywhere else in Italy.

3 sauces→

Toscana

The hills between Florence and Siena, the forests of the Maremma, the coastline at Livorno. Tuscany's kitchen is built on the land: game from the hills, pulses from the valleys, Chianti from the vines. Cinghiale is the sauce that the landscape produces.

2 sauces→

Umbria

The green heart of Italy. Landlocked, forested, quietly proud. The Norcia black truffle is worth a detour of several hundred kilometres. The pasta is fresh, the pork is cured, and the table is not interested in spectacle.

1 sauce→

Calabria

The toe of the Italian boot. Calabrian heat is not a seasoning choice. It is a philosophy. 'Nduja was born here, in Spilinga, and it carries the full weight of that tradition. The food is fierce and does not apologise for it.

1 sauce→

Piemonte

The alpine northwest, bordered by France and Switzerland. Home to the slow-food movement, viticulture on an epic scale, and some of Italy's finest cheese and truffle pasta sauces. The mountain pastures produce Fontina and the truffle fairs of Alba are the most celebrated in Italy.

1 sauce→

Lombardia

The northern heartland centred on Milan, bounded by the great lakes and the Alps. Butter and aged cheese govern the kitchen, and the region's most celebrated pasta, Paccheri alla Vittorio from the Cerea family's Da Vittorio in Bergamo, is a masterclass in their use.

4 sauces→