49 varieties: the most traditional Gragnano pasta shapes plus other Italian classics

Varieties of Pasta dei Campi

Dry pasta is a mixture of durum wheat semolina and water. With this dough, and through different plates and frames, Gragnano pasta factories and other Italian pasta factories have created an almost infinite number of pasta shapes. The frames are real and true masterpieces of fluid dynamics: each insert that gives shape to each single strip of pasta must be equal to the next, to avoid differences in cooking times. The frame layer’s skills – deciding how many lines per each insert, the flow speed of the pasta, the angle of the curvature, and the length of the cut – are all fundamental in creating a homogenous product.

National companies’ pasta production both mirrors the century's old tradition of Italian pasta makers and enriches the market with new shapes and forms.
Each Italian region prefers certain shapes of pasta: generally in the north normal pastas have more success, like spaghetti and linguine, while in the center and south of Italy special forms are preferred, like paccheri e conchiglioni.

All of these forms adapt differently to different recipes. Certain pairings are ideal for specific shapes of pasta and their sauces. For example, trofie and linguine are perfect for Genoese pesto, mixed short pasta from Gragnano seems made for soups with pasta and potatoes, bucatini are the best match for amatriciana sauce, and so on.

At Pastificio dei Campi we produce 49 varieties of pasta: all of the traditional shapes of Gragnano pasta factories, like ziti, plus other Italian classics like spaghetti. Our pastas are divided between long pastas, short pastas, and special pastas. Some of these varieties are our own creation, for example the Calamarata Orientale, a calamarata with a slanted cut that resembles slanted ‘Asian’ eyes a special plates designed with the help of Gennaro Esposito of the Torre del Saracino.

For those living in the Neapolitan area, dry pasta is a strong identifying element; this identification with different shapes of pasta has given life to myriads of stories. This is why there is a story behind the name of every shape of pasta, a story tied to centuries of tradition of making pasta. For example, mafaldine were created in honor of Queen Mafalda di Savoia, tripolini were dedicated to the colonial conquest of Tripoli, and Piedigrotta pasta takes its name from the Neapolitan holiday with the same name.

While browsing through the pages of our pasta varieties, you will discover many interesting fun facts about the various shapes of pasta.