There is no physical of chemical change in breaking pasta. It does make it easier to cook, because you don't have spaghetti sticking out of your pot, but let me explain this from the double viewpoint of being both Italian and a cook. Is it just tradition? Definitely not.

Pasta is a big part of Italian cuisine and one of the aspects we're most proud of (yes, we are aware it was invented in China but won't admit that to just anyone). And Italian is the most famous cuisine in the world (pizza anyone?). There are hundreds of types of pasta, some of them are made only in tiny villages in the mountains and what not, but spaghetti and other long pasta like linguini and tagliarini are ubiquitous.

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Source: http://www.slate.com/