Pasta dishes in Southern Italy are all about sun-soaked ingredients, sharp flavours and the kind of recipes that have been handed down in local dialects for generations. While many visitors might picture the region’s famous pizzas or gelato, the pasta here shows off some of Southern Italy's most authentic dishes.

Inventive and deeply rooted in home cooking, the best food in Southern Italy boasts tomato sauces, plenty of olive oil, seafood plucked straight from the Mediterranean, and an unashamed love of bold herbs and spices. Southern Italian pasta is much more than just penne and tomato sauce.