Walk down the pasta aisle of any marketplace, and you'll likely find common varieties of pasta like spaghetti, penne, and rigatoni. As Italians, we know and love these staple shapes just as much as anyone. But did you know that there are many other varieties out there?

From the stuffed ravioli of the north to the intricate shapes of the south, each region of Italy offers its own unique pasta form and flavors. Indeed, Italy has more than 400 known pasta shapes, many of which contain more than one name and variation!