The great classics of Italian cooking that never go out of style

As a passionate cook and a daughter of the South, I've always believed the most beautiful dishes are the ones that never go out of fashion. In 2025 Italian cuisine was recognized as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, and it truly moved me: it's a tribute to the knowledge, the gestures and the conviviality handed down from generation to generation.

On my blog I've gathered the great classics worth trying at least once, from the North to the South. We start with the sauces that taste like home: ragù alla bolognese simmering slowly on a Sunday, amatriciana, creamy carbonara made without cream, pesto alla genovese and puttanesca, made with simple ingredients full of character.

Then there are fresh pastas and gnocchi, which for me are pure love: egg lasagne, potato gnocchi, cavatelli, Sardinian culurgiones and the maccheroni al ferretto of my Sicily. Every region guards its own recipes, often born from humble peasant cooking and the habit of wasting nothing, like passatelli in broth or pasta with sardines and wild fennel.

The best part is that you don't need to be a chef: all it takes is everyday ingredients, a little patience and the aroma that fills the house. For me, cooking these dishes is like being a little girl again, in the kitchen with my grandmother.

Source: GialloZafferano