Sophia Loren once said, “Everything you see I owe to spaghetti”. If it’s good enough for Sophia, then it’s good enough for us mere mortals.
That’s fitting considering World Pasta Day is on October 25.
Pasta is delicious, comforting and nourishing. It is also incredibly versatile and comes in over 350 different shapes and sizes to use in soups, stews, salads and of course pasta dishes. From the thinnest angel hair pasta to a meat-filled ravioli drenched in a tasty sauce and smothered in parmesan cheese.
Some people travel to Italy for pasta inspired holidays where they gorge on the various carb offerings.
Marketing manager for The Travel Corporation, Lieria Boshoff, said the origins of pasta may or may not be in Italy, but believes they are the world leaders when it comes to making the flour and water concoction.
“In 2019 Italy was responsible for nearly 30% of the world’s pasta exports, and each Italian eats 26 kilograms of the stuff every year. That’s a lot of pasta," she said.
For pasta-loving travellers, she recommends visiting Umbria and Tuscany, two of Italy’s most famous regions.
Travellers can book cooking demos and tours. A popular one is with Etruscan Chef Lorenzo Polegri in Orvieto. He shares his virtuoso cooking skills and love of Italian food with you. He prepares delicious pasta fresca combined with the local staples of olive oil, cheese, prosciutto and focaccia.
If you would like to see how real Italian pasta is made by a real-life Italian nonna, then try Insight Vacation’s 14-day Country Roads of Southern Italy and Sicily.
In Alberobello, you’ll meet Alessandro, the founder of Trattoria Terra Madre, who will share his philosophy of using organic, seasonal produce which he grows himself. Then nonna will make you orecchiette pasta before serving you a sensational four-course farm-to-table dinner.