Gnudi, pici, spaghetti, tagliatelle, ravioli... there's an alphabet's worth of pasta out there but chances are you've only scratched the surface. Expand your vocabulary via old-school trattorias and modest outposts teetered on cliff tops. These are the best pasta restaurants in Italy.

restaurant

Osteria al Casale

Matera

Sitting in a quiet street in the Matera’s town centre, Osteria al Casale is the perfect setting to twirl spaghetti. Osteria al Casale focuses on “cucina povera” – simple provincial dishes that champion fresh ingredients. Dine on truffle ravioli on the restaurant’s open terrace with views of southern Italy’s sepia-toned natural beauty.

Address

Via Casale 24, 75100 Matera MT, Italy

+39 329 802 1190 Go to website

restaurant

Agustarello a Testaccio

Rome

Humble and inconspicuous, Agustarello is a local favourite. Stomachs may turn at the thought of offal but one bite of their gricia (handmade pasta with pork jowl, pecorino cheese and black pepper) or trippa alla romana (strips of beef tripe cooked with tomato and mint) and any icky associations are quickly forgotten, to be swiftly replaced by unforgettable flavours.

Address

Via Giovanni Branca 100, 00153 Roma RM, Italy

+39 06 574 6585 Go to website

restaurant

Algiubagio Restaurant

Venice

Whether you’re dining beneath chandeliers in the restaurant’s romantic indoor space, or watching boats pass by outside at a table outside come summer, this is Venice at its most delectable and glamorous. Salute your surroundings and order a dish with seafood, such as the black tagliatelle with almonds and cuttlefish on leek and saffron mousse.

Address

Fondamente Nove 5039, 30121 Venezia VE, Italy

+39 041 523 6084 Go to website

restaurant

Al Gatto Nero

Turin

What began as a 1927 Tuscan trattoria is now one of Turin’s most reputable restaurants. At Al Gatto Nero you will certainly not go hungry; the pappardelle with duck ragu and anything featuring local white truffles (sourced from Alba) are particularly good. Similar to its understated menu, Al Gatto Nero’s decor is unassuming, elegant and quietly sophisticated.

Address

Corso Filippo Turati 14, 10128 Torino TO, Italy

+39 011 590414

restaurant

Lo Scoglio

Amalfi Coast

A modest seaside family-run restaurant on the Sorrentine Peninsula, La Scoglio is cut off from the tourists flocking to Positano. Meals are confidently unpretentious, simple and restrained. Devour plates of fresh seafood (the octopus is particularly good here) and homemade pasta (we love the zucchini spaghetti) on a sun-drenched afternoon, overlooking over cerulean waters and the Li Galli islands in the distance, Aperol spritz in hand.

Address

Piazza delle Sirene 15, Marina del Cantone, Massa Lubrense NA, Italy

+39 081 808 1026 Go to website

thingstodo

Mercato Centrale

Florence, Italy

Numerous artisan-manned pasta stalls sprawl across the Central Market in San Lorenzo. On the ground level, La Pasta Fresca's large windows beckon diners inside with their production lines of pici, ravioli and tortellini sold by the deli out at the front. Can't wait? Grab some prepared pasta to-go, such as ricotta-spinach ravioli in lemon sauce. Alternatively, head up one floor to Il Tartufo, a fourth-generation, family-owned Tuscan company specialising in finest quality truffles. Try to snag one of the few seats at the bar.

Address

Via de' Ginori, 8 50123

+39 055 0750600 Go to website

restaurant

Il Covo Marino

Sicily

Sitting in a tiny fishing village a 20-minute drive from Catania, you’d be forgiven for not noticing Il Covo Marina. The restaurant’s decor may be lacking, but it belies the culinary offerings inside. Seafood rightly takes the spotlight on a rotating menu that changes daily depending on the morning’s catch. Order the sea-urchin pasta with grilled crustaceans and pair with local wine.

Address

Via Lungomare Dei Ciclopi 149, 95021 Aci Trezza CT, Italy

+39 320 1162280 Go to website

restaurant

Tamerò

Florence

In place of red-and-white checked napery, here you’ll find steel tables, a bare concrete floor and benches covered in burlap. While Tamerò may not have a “since 1800s” sign to fall back on, the food here is approval enough. Twelve kinds of pasta are made from scratch daily – our favourite is pasta culurgiones (pasta dumpling filled with potato, ginger and mint). The wine menu features Tuscany’s smaller labels and if you’ve had a few, you’ll be grateful for the restaurant’s after-dinner DJ at the weekend.

Address

Piazza Santo Spirito 11r, 50125 Firenze FI, Italy

+39 055 282 596 Go to website