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I Used to Travel for a Living, Here Are 16 Travel Essentials That Are Always On My Packing List

Pack like a pro with these amazon travel essentials that will keep you prepared for anything your trip throws at you..

We independently selected these deals and products because we love them, and we think you might like them at these prices. E! has affiliate relationships, so we may get a commission if you purchase something through our links. Items are sold by the retailer, not E!. Prices are accurate as of publish time.

I'm the first to admit that I haven't always been a great packer . Not only did I live in constant fear of having to pay extra for an overweight bag, but I always arrived to the airport or train station with a sneaking suspicion that I left something really important behind. But that all changed when I landed a job where I was required to travel several times a month. Whether it was a two-day trip or a week long stay, I made it my mission to pack like a pro , which not only means being organized but also being prepared for any inconveniences I might face along the way.

I'm pleased to report that I not only accomplished that, but I also discovered some must-have travel essentials that everyone should pack. Whether you're travelling via plane, train, or car, I rounded up all of the Amazon travel essentials that you should definitely add to your packing list.

From a toiletry bag that RHOBH star Kyle Richards never travels without to depuffing under eye patches and a portable phone charger that doesn't require any cords, keep reading for the 15 best travel essentials that are always on my packing list, from someone who used to travel for a living.

Holii Travel Pill Organizer

This pill organizer is perfect for travel, since it has several compartments to separately store medications, vitamins, or pain relievers and won't take up much space. I've also used the bigger compartments for hair ties, bobby pins, and other small items. It has 14,00+ 5-star ratings in five colors.

iWALK Portable Charger

A portable phone charger is a no-brainer, but the reason this one is so great is that it doesn't require any extra cables since it pops directly into your phone's (or AirPods') charging port. It's compact, lightweight, and rechargeable, plus it comes in six colors.

Travel Bottles for Toiletries

Even if I'm checking a bag, I still like to transfer my shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and facial cleanser into TSA-friendly bottles like these. This set includes four leak-proof silicone bottles stored in a zippered pouch. Choose from 12 colorways.

Veken 8 Set Packing Cubes

My life changed for the better when I discovered packing cubes, which keep your suitcase so organized. This highly-rated set includes four different sized cubes, toiletry and accessories pouches, a shoe bag, and a laundry bag. Not only will your suitcase be neat, but you'll also be able to easily find what you're looking for.

Tide Stain Remover for Clothes

At some point in your trip, you're bound to stain an outfit, which is why I keep a Tide pen on me at all times. That way, you can get rid of stains ASAP so you can re-wear clothes instead of tossing them in your laundry bag.

MLVOC Memory Foam Travel Pillow

Whether you're traveling by train, plane, or car, a travel pillow is a must-have if you're trying to take a nap. This memory foam one has contoured support that reviewers love, which is why it's garnered over 22,300 5-star reviews. As an added bonus, it comes with a carrying case, ear plugs, and a sleeping mask.

grace & stella Award Winning Under Eye Mask

These individually packaged under eye masks will help to de-puff skin after long flights and early mornings. A best-seller, these under eye masks are packed with moisturizing niacinamide and hyaluronic acid and deliver a cooling sensation that depuffs and feels so soothing. No wonder they have 14,600+ 5-star ratings!

Touchland Power Mist Hydrating Hand Sanitizer Spray

This goes without saying but you'll be encountering a lot of germs on your travels, which is why it's essential that you travel with hand sanitizer. Not only are these from Touchland aesthetically pleasing with delicious scents, the spritz is super convenient and won't leave your hands sticky. They come in multipacks with different scents.

Washable Reusable Gel Lint Roller

This tiny but mighty lint roller is ideal for travel since it doesn't take up a lot of space (you can even toss it in your purse) and is reusable. Just pop out the sticky ball, rinse it under water, and it's good as new.

BAGSMART Toiletry Bag

Rather than stuffing all your toiletries into a bulky makeup bag, try this best-selling organizer that folds open to reveal tons of zippered compartments. The best part is that it can be hung on a towel hook for easy access. Not to mention, it's a favorite of RHOBH's Kyle Richards.

Etekcity Luggage Scale

Spare yourself the anxiety of showing up to the airport and having to pay extra for an overweight bag with this luggage scale . It clips onto your luggage and provides an instant weight read so you know if you need to remove a few items (or have space for a few added items).

Travel Ready Portable Emergency First Aid Kit

From blisters to unexpected injuries, this first aid kit has got you covered. The compact box includes band-aids of different sizes, gauze and tape, alcohol wipes, Neosporin, and Tylenol.

Gillette Venus Extra Smooth On The Go Razor

With over 15,400 5-star ratings, reviewers love how small and convenient this portable razor is. It's everything you love about Gillette razors, just on a smaller scale. It comes with its own carrying case and a blade refill.

MZOO Sleep Eye Mask

If there's any chance of me getting some shuteye, it's because I have a sleep mask on me. This blackout mask has padded contouring and an adjustable strap for a perfect fit that won't squish your eyes or slide off. It has a whopping 71,700+ 5-star ratings.

BAGSMART Travel Jewelry Organizer

Tossing all of your jewelry into a bag won't just make it hard to find what you're looking for but it will make everything tangled. This folding jewelry organizer solves the problem, with designated spaces for necklaces, bracelets, rings, and earrings. And since it's flat, it doesn't take up much space. It comes in 11 colors and two sizes.

Himawari Laptop Backpack

While cute, carrying heavy shoulder bags are uncomfortable and painful, which is why I opt for a spacious backpack. This waterproof one has a padded laptop sleeve, plenty of pockets, and adjustable straps. Not to mention, it comes in so many cute colorways.

Hitting the slopes for Spring Break? Here's every affordable ski trip essential you need to pack.

—Originally published on Feb. 28, 2024, at 12:00 p.m. PT

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46 best Amazon travel accessories for your next trip, according to experts

There are many benefits to traveling, whether it’s seeing beautiful sites, learning about new cultures or spending time with friends and family. However, traveling isn’t always smooth sailing. Airport delays, lost luggage , jet lag or language barriers can add layers of stress that make you never want to leave home again.

At NBC Select, we’ve rounded up some of the best travel accessories that can help ease your stress and give you peace of mind before your next trip.

SKIP AHEAD Best travel products as seen on NBC News Now | Best tech travel accessories | Best travel storage and organizers | Best travel accessories for comfort | Best travel beauty and wellness accessories | How to choose the best travel products

Selected. Our top picks

Top travel products, as seen on NBC News Now

Twelve south airfly pro.

Twelve South AirFly Pro Bluetooth Wireless Audio Transmitter

Take 20% off the Twelve South AirFly Pro (in Black) on Twelve South's website with code NBCSELECT through May 27.

NBC Select editorial coordinator Rebecca Rodriguez says the AirFly, which plugs into the in-flight entertainment's audio jack and connects to earbuds via Bluetooth, has become a travel essential. “I can never use my Apple Airpods Max on airplanes because they don’t come with an auxiliary cable. My AirFly seamlessly pairs with my Airpods with the touch of a button, then recognizes them whenever I use it next. I used it on six, three- to four-hour flights before needing to recharge it, so it has great battery life.”

Hydaway Collapsible Water Bottle

This collapsible water bottle frees you from lugging around a heavy metal bottle when you're trying to pack light. "This bottle collapses down super flat," says managing editor Leah Ginsberg. "And I was surprised by how easy it is to carry when filled, as well as its stability, because it looks a little awkward." It fits in a car cup holder, says Ginsberg and held up in the dishwasher. "It's especially good for a trip where you have to go through TSA or where you’ll be doing a lot of hiking," she says.

This Bluetooth tracker is a good alternative to  Apple’s AirTag , especially for anyone who does not use an iPhone. Within 400 feet of the tracker, you can ping it to make noise and use the  Tile app  to help find its precise location. Outside that distance, the Tile Network can help you find your tag. It has a replaceable  coin-shaped battery  inside and is  water and  dust-resistant.

Bagsmart Packing Cubes

Bagsmart 7 Set Packing Cubes for Travel Essentials

Marina Radlinski, home organizing expert and owner of  Palm Beach Organized , recommends this Basgmart seven-piece packing cube set with different-sized cubes. "Think about the space you need for underwear and socks versus the space you need for sweaters," she says. They're made of nylon and mesh, allowing you to see your clothing options inside.

Bombas Compression socks

Bombas Everyday Compression Socks

If you're taking a long flight and want to aid your circulation, the Bombas compression socks are a great pick. "I loved how easy these are to put on, and the material feels amazing, not as tight as some other brands," says senior photo editor, Becca Delman. "As an avid compression sock user, I wore these on a recent flight to Orlando and my legs actually felt great. They didn’t swell and I didn’t feel numb from sitting. After a wash, the material help up, too."

select Whether you’re going away for a week or a weekend, there’s a highly-rated bag on Amazon for you.

How we picked the best amazon travel accessories.

We spoke to travel experts, who have collectively explored more than 200 countries via various transportation modes, and asked them what products are most important to have on hand. When packing, our experts recommend keeping the following in mind:

• Size and weight . Size matters since most airlines allow only one carry-on and a personal item, says travel coach Sarah Rose De Vore . Our experts recommended choosing products that offer the most value at minimal weight and size.
• Comfort . Lack of sleep and discomfort can lead to fatigue long after you deboard, says travel wellness expert Edyta Satchell. To combat these issues, she recommends packing things that help block out light and noise or offer support so you can sleep and sit more comfortably.
• Organization . Easy access to your belongings is essential. Our experts recommend bags and organizers with pockets.
• Health . “You can’t be ignorant of the negative impact travel has on your health,” says Satchell. For example, limited movement on the plane can cause muscle, circulation and joint problems, not drinking enough water can result in dehydration and lack of sleep can cause fatigue, she adds. Satchell recommends packing items that keep you hydrated, such as sheet masks, serums and pre-filled reusable water bottles. She also suggests packing items for comfort, such as neck pillows and compression socks, as well as quality light-filtering eye masks to get proper rest.

Other Amazon travel products to shop in 2024

We rounded up a variety of products no traveler should leave home without, along with some accessories that Select staffers love. We’ve also included some highly rated travel products that align with expert guidance.

Best travel tech accessories

Apple airtag 4 pack.

Apple AirTag 4-Pack

4.8-star average rating from 120,018 reviews on Amazon

Lost luggage can be a nightmare. The Apple AirTag can help you find and/or keep track of your items by syncing it with your smart devices. If your tagged items (like luggage or skis) go missing, you can set your AirTag into “lost mode,” which will automatically notify you when it’s detected back in your network.

Hicober 3-in-1 Charging Station

4.4-star average rating from 6,430 reviews on Amazon

This 3-in-1 wireless charger for MagSafe Apple devices is foldable and just 4.5 ounces, so you can just throw it in your bag or purse when traveling. It takes less than three hours to fully charge and also works as a phone stand that you can angle horizontally or vertically for FaceTime calls or movies on the go.

Anker PowerCore Slim 10000

Anker 523 PowerCore Portable Charger

4.4-star average rating from 9,825 reviews on Amazon

Select staffers Shari Uyehara and Harry Rabinowitz both love Anker portable power banks for their versatility and charging capacity. At 7.5 ounces, the PowerCore Slim 10000 is the company’s slimmest version yet, making it perfect for travel.

Perilogics Universal In-Flight Airplane Phone Holder Mount

4.6-star average rating from 18,163 reviews on Amazon

This phone holder clips onto your plane’s tray table so you can go hands-free while watching movies, sports or any other media you’ve downloaded. It has a 360-degree rotation to offer different viewing angles (including vertically and horizontally), plus it’s compatible with multiple phone sizes, according to the brand.

Epicka Universal Travel Adapter

4.7-star average rating from 13,847 reviews on Amazon

Another favorite of Rabinowitz is this Epicka Universal Travel Adapter . According to the brand, it works in more than 150 countries and has four USB ports, one USB-C slot and a socket to charge six devices simultaneously at high speed. It’s also compatible with all USB devices. Keep in mind that this is not a voltage converter and that your devices must have dual or variable-voltage capabilities to use it.

Doboli Silicone AirPods Case

4.6-star average rating from 70,351 reviews on Amazon

This silicone case, which comes in a two pack, provides protection for your AirPods while on the go. It has an LED light to indicate when it’s charging, and each case comes with a carabiner so you can clip your devices to a backpack or carry-on with ease. They’re available in an assortment of colors, including earthy, pastel and neon hues.

Beats Solo3 Wireless On-Ear Headphones

4.7-star average rating from 78,151 reviews on Amazon

These foldable wireless Bluetooth headphones have up to 40 hours of battery life and are compatible with iOS and Android devices. According to Beats, five minutes of charging gives you three hours of playback. They are adjustable, with cushioned ear cups for added comfort. The Beats Solo3 comes in four colors, including black, rose gold, silver and red.

Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (16GB)

Kindle Paperwhite (16 GB)

4.7-star average rating from 54,708 reviews on Amazon

Depending on your luggage, carrying a ton of books may not be ideal. If you like to read while on the go, this Kindle Paperwhite will give you access to lots of books without weighing you down. It is one of the best e-readers thanks to its glare-free screen that makes reading in the park or at the beach easy. You can also pair this device with Bluetooth earbuds and listen to audiobooks with an Audible subscription . The battery lasts up to 10 weeks on a single charge too, according to the brand.

Sure Lock Travel Luggage Locks

4.7-star rating from 13,105 reviews on Amazon

These TSA compatible travel locks are durable, easy to carry and work with nearly every type of luggage, according to the brand. It’s good for those staying in shared accommodations, like hostels, or anyone in need of extra luggage security. NBC Page Hannah Fuechtman uses them while backpacking and staying at hostels around Europe, and she highly recommends these for the peace of mind they bring.

Anker Soundcore 2  

Anker Soundcore 2

4.6-star average rating from 119,072 reviews on Amazon

Bring music wherever your travels take you with one of the best bluetooth speakers . Select updates editor Mili Godio enjoys its portability and sound quality. “I’ve brought it to outdoor picnics and parties, and the music is always audible and crisp even when there’s other competing noises,” she says. It’s built to boost low-end frequencies (bass) and deliver little to no distortion at all volumes and it is also water-resistant, according to the brand. This speaker has physical touch controls up top to help you play/pause your music.

Best travel storage and organizers

Fyy electronics organizer.

4.5-star average rating from 22,005 reviews on Amazon

This compact organizer has two layers of storage space to hold all your devices and chargers in one place. At just 3.2 ounces, the waterproof case is compact and lightweight,giving you easy access to cords, cables and more.

Travelwise Luggage Packing Cubes

TravelWise Luggage Packing Cubes

4.7-star average rating from 10,170 reviews on Amazon

This five-piece travel organizer includes one small, two medium and two large packing cubes to compartmentalize items and streamline your packing. Each cube is made of nylon and has two-way zippers for fast opening and closing so you can easily unpack when you arrive at your destination, according to the brand.

Bagsmart Toiletry Bag

4.8-star average rating from 53,831 reviews on Amazon

I love my Bagsmart travel bag because it securely holds all my toiletries in one place. When I get to my hotel, I just hang it on the bathroom door hook, which keeps the countertop open and free for other items. This bag has four separate compartments with elastic straps that hold my bottles upright, and transparent sides so I can easily see all my contents. It’s also well padded and protects everything inside when I’m on the go.

Stasher Bags

4.7-star average rating from 6,240 reviews on Amazon

Select associate updates editor Zoe Malin says these reusable silicone Stasher Bags are her “go-to eco-friendly storage product.” “I have food allergies, so I always pack snacks to take with me on flights in these reusable bags. They’re also great for organizing toiletries. I’m obsessed with the small ones for packing pills, vitamins and medications.” These come in over 20 colors and are microwave-, freezer- and dishwasher-safe.

Gemice Travel Bottles

4.5-star average rating from 12,283 reviews on Amazon

These leakproof travel bottles are TSA-approved and designed to hold 3 ounces of shampoo, conditioner, body wash, lotion and more for your carry-on. They are also made of BPA-free food-grade silicone so they are safe for other liquids like sauce, salad dressing and even baby food, as detailed on the brand’s website. Sold as a four-pack with a choice of colors, each bottle has a no-drip valve and wide opening for easy filling, according to the brand.

Kayzon Travel Perfume Containers

4.3-star average rating from 7,617 reviews on Amazon

Many perfumes and colognes come in bottles too big for a carry-on luggage, but with these travel perfume containers you’re able to bring your favorite scent on the go. The bottles are made from a leak-proof aluminum, according to the brand, and are easy to fill and refill.

Waterfly Crossbody Bag

4.5-star average rating from 40,022 reviews on Amazon

Susan Henkel, founder of Ola Travel & Tours , always carries a sling bag when traveling. “I don’t like a heavy bag,” she says. “I like to be nimble and not have anything heavy on my shoulder or neck.” According to Henkel, her ideal bag must have a padded strap, lots of pockets, fit close to her body and withstand rain. She recommended this nylon crossbody from Waterfly, which comes in 17 colors and has an adjustable, reversible shoulder strap, loads of pockets (including two mesh side pockets) and a hidden earphone hole.

Travelambo Luggage Tag

4.7-star average rating from 12,142 reviews on Amazon

Luggage tags make it easy to spot your suitcase coming off the bag carousel and also help ensure that it makes its way back to you if it gets lost. These eco-friendly faux leather tags come in a set of two and have a double-sided printing card and privacy flap, as well as an adjustable stainless-steel buckle. They are available in 32 bold colors, including Rose Red, Light Blue, Hot Orange and Blooming Green.

Seyfocnia Weekender Bag

4.6-star average rating from 4,822 reviews on Amazon

This weekender bag has a zippered pocket on the front and back and a slot so you can slide it onto any suitcase’s pop-up handle. It weighs 3.3 pounds and is made of polyurethane leather with a nylon interior. It also has a padded adjustable shoulder strap and a shoe compartment to keep your dirty shoes or clothes separate from the main compartment. It comes in nine color combinations, including some canvas options.

Vorspack Toiletry Bag

4.6-star average rating from 8,948 reviews on Amazon

This men’s Dopp kit measures 10 by 5 by 5.5 inches and is made of canvas with a polyurethane leather bottom. Its main compartment is roomy enough to fit a facial cleanser, electric shaver, travel shampoo and other toiletries, according to the brand, and it has four additional mesh pockets on the inside, and one outside zipper pocket.

Best travel accessories for comfort

Eversnug travel blanket.

4.7-star average rating from over 6,444 reviews on Amazon

At 65 inches long and 40 inches wide, this microfleece blanket has a carrying case that also doubles as a pillow, along with a sleeve at the back so you can slip it into your suitcase’s pop-up handle, according to the brand. You can also attach it directly to your carry-on with the included carabiner. It comes in six colors, including gray, teal, burgundy and black.

Bcozzy Neck Pillow

4.2-star average rating from 29,299 reviews on Amazon

This ergonomic neck pillow provides double support with its overlapping arms that you can adjust several ways, according to the brand: If you’re a side sleeper, you can fold the pillow in half, place it on your shoulder and lean your head to the side; if sleeping upright, the double arms can hold your chin up for extra support. The shell is made of a mix of microsuede and microfleece and is filled with a down alternative, as detailed on the brand’s website. It comes in several colors, including navy, leopard and black.

Lky Digital Sleep Mask

4.5-star average rating from 62,163 reviews on Amazon

When Select managing editor Leah Ginsberg travels, she always brings a structured sleep mask — like this Lky Digital option — to block out light. Designed with 3D-contouring and comfort in mind, this mask lets you blink freely without adding pressure to your eyes, according to the brand. It’s washable, made of a breathable soft foam and has an adjustable strap to accommodate different head sizes too, as detailed on the brand’s website. It comes in a pack of three with multiple color options.

Sunany Inflatable Foot Rest

4.3-star average rating from 4,619 reviews on Amazon

Airplane foot rests can help relieve pressure on your lower back and increase blood circulation, says Satchell. “There is limited space on the plane, which means [you can have] muscle and joint problems because we sit for hours without moving.” This inflatable foot rest adjusts to three different heights and weighs 12.8 ounces, making it easy to carry. When compressed, it’s 7 inches by 4.2 inches and fits into a drawstring bag.

02Cool Portable Battery-Powered Fan

O2Cool Portable Battery-Powered Fan

4.4-star average rating from 21,885 reviews

Former NBC Select editor Christina Colizza always brings this travel fan with her on warm-weather trips. “It’s compact and has an easy-to-use foldable design that sits flat in your suitcase. It only has two speeds, but they’re mighty,” she says. “This little powerhouse got me through an Airbnb stay in Portugal during a heatwave and wildfires and my friend’s woodsy Maine wedding where I slept in a cabin with no electricity or running water.” This fan is five inches tall, has a built-in handle and comes in four colors.

Silky Toes Foldable Travel Flats

4.2-star average rating from 16,426 reviews on Amazon

“Foldable travel flats are a must,” says Ginsberg. These are made of polyurethane leather with a rubber sole and come in 36 colors with its own drawstring bag so you can easily stash them in your purse. “No one wants sore, blistered feet,” says Henkel.

Cabeau Evolution S3 Sleep Pillow

4.3-star average rating from 7,835 reviews on Amazon

Colizza swears by this memory foam travel pillow that attaches to the plane’s headrest to prevent slouching. “I owned several cheap travel pillows before finding this option from Cabeau. As someone who is 5’10, I’ll take all the help I can in getting to sleep while flying, and this pillow has made a huge difference. Plus, it compresses down into a small pouch, which makes it convenient enough to schlep around airports.”

SmartTravel Inflatable Lumbar Travel Pillow

4.3-star average rating from 1,289 reviews on Amazon

Ginsberg also brings along a lumbar pillow, especially on long flights, for added back support. This self-inflating pillow is made of memory foam so it fits your body’s curve and reduces pressure along the spine, according to the brand. You can store it in its own bag and use it as a neck pillow too.

Fintie Passport Holder

4.6-star average rating from 6,798 reviews on Amazon

When traveling internationally, you have to carry multiple important documents like a passport, visa, proof of vaccination and more. Keep them all together and safe with this passport holder, a product Fuechtman can’t leave for a trip without. Not only is there a slot for your passport, but there’s also room for cards, cash, boarding passes and more. It also comes in 24 colors and patterns like purple , sage green , orange , floral and more.

Best travel beauty and wellness accessories

Wwdoll kn95 face masks.

4.5-star average rating from 73,629 reviews on Amazon

These are registered with the FDA and come highly recommended by experts in our guide to the best KN95 masks . They have an adjustable nose bridge and are available in nine colors. “I love that they come in multipacks so I can stash a ton in my bag,” says Malin. According to the company, these five-ply masks filter out 95% of particles and have 25 per pack.

Hydro Flask Water Bottle

Hydro Flask Wide Mouth Water Bottle with Straw Lid

4.8-star average rating from 2,106 reviews on Amazon

Satchell recommends bringing along a reusable water bottle to fight off dehydration. Listed in our guide to the best water bottles of 2023 , the Hydro Flask comes in four sizes — 20 ounces, 32 ounces, 40 ounces and 64 ounces — and is made with a double-walled vacuum insulation, which keeps beverages cold for up to 24 hours, and hot drinks warm for up to 12 hours, according to the brand. It comes in 16 colors and has a flexible strap that makes it easy to carry too.

Laneige Lip Glowy Balm

4.7-star average rating from 13,279 reviews on Amazon

Ginsberg loves this lip balm from Select-reader favorite brand Laneige for sealing in moisture on her lips when she flies. “The shape is streamlined and less messy [for travel], but feels and works as amazing as the Laneige sleep mask ,” she says.

Amika Perk Up Talc-free Dry Shampoo

4.5-star average rating from 15,483 reviews on Amazon

Dry shampoo can provide an instant pick-me-up after a long flight. This talc-free one from Amika absorbs oil and refreshes hair with natural rice starch, leaving no white residue, according to the brand. Its main ingredient is a superfruit that contains the fatty-acid omega 7, which promotes elasticity and provides superior hydration, according to Amika.

Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream

Cetaphil Intensive Moisturizing Cream

4.7-star average rating from 18,401 reviews on Amazon

“The air on the plane will literally suck you dry,” says Satchell. This intense hydrating cream comes recommended by dermatologists in our guide to the best face moisturizers for dry skin . It works for all ages and skin types and you can use it on both your face and body, according to Cetaphil.

Yougai Manicure Set

4.4-star average rating from 41,673 reviews on Amazon

This manicure kit weighs around 9 ounces and contains 18 tools including nail clippers, eyebrow tweezers and scissors, a blackhead acne remover, a callus remover and a cuticle trimmer. Each item is made of professional-grade stainless steel, according to the brand, and the case is made of polyurethane leather that zippers shut.

Physix Gear Sport Compression Socks

4.5-star average rating from 79,767 reviews on Amazon

According to podiatrist Dr. Khurram Khan , if you don’t get up and walk around every 60 to 90 minutes, fluid can start to build up in your legs. Since that’s not always possible on a plane, our experts recommend trying compression socks . These Physix Gear socks promote circulation by gently applying pressure to your legs, feet and ankles, according to the brand. They are made from nylon and spandex and come in S/M and L-XXL sizes.

Bala Bangles

4.6-star average rating from 4,431 reviews on Amazon

Malin says she always brings her Bala Bangles with her to do mini workouts in her hotel room. These wearable weights strap around your wrist or ankles with Velcro and are designed to add extra weight to any workout, according to the brand. They come in eight different colors, and you can opt for a set of 1-lb or 2-lb weights. Bala also uploads videos of fitness routines on its website.

Patchology Hydrate Sheet Masks

4.8-star average rating from 228 reviews on Amazon

Satchell also recommends applying a facial sheet mask to hydrate on the plane. This one from Patchology was recommended in our guide to dermatologist-approved skin-care routines and includes moisturizing ingredients like hyaluronic acid and vitamin B5. It’s designed to nourish and replenish dry or dehydrated skin after just 5 minutes, according to Patchology.

Sony LinkBuds S

4.1-star average rating from 4,437 reviews on Amazon

Listen to your podcasts and music in peace -- these noise-canceling earbuds, a Select Giftable Tech Award winner, amplify just what you want to hear, according to Sony. Touch control pause, play, skip tracks, control volume, activate your voice assistant and answer phone calls, and the earbuds have up to six hours of battery life (20 hours with the charging case), says the brand. They’re also water-resistant enough to handle sweat and splashes and they come with ear tips in multiple sizes for a snug fit.

Loop Quiet Ear Plugs

Loop Quiet Earplugs

4.1-star average rating from 89,446 reviews on Amazon

Traveling to a noisy city? Not sure if your hotel room will have paper thin walls? These silicone, washable earbuds are a Select Wellness Award winner and reduce noise by 27 decibels to help you sleep, focus and protect your ears. They come with different sized ear tips to fit your ears and a carrying case for travel.

L’Occitane Shea Butter Hand Cream

4.6-star average rating from 17,512 reviews on Amazon

Hand cream is something Fuechtman always has in her carry-on bag, and highly recommends this one from L’Occitane. It comes in a 30ml tube, making it TSA friendly, and is also made with shea butter, which keeps the hands smooth and soft, according to the brand.

How to shop for the best travel products and pack for your next trip

Satchell recommends swapping large containers for reusable TSA-approved ones if using a carry-on bag. She also suggests carrying ginger gummies in case of nausea. Here are some other important things to remember when shopping for the best travel products, according to our experts.

• Choose your suitcase wisely. To avoid extra fees and overweight charges from overpacking, choose a bag that actually suits the length of your trip.
• Create a packing list. If you travel often, make a general list of things you need so you don’t have to recreate it every time, says De Vore. Then you can make a few adjustments tailored to each trip.
• Make your personal item count. Opting for a good-sized bag, like a backpack, for your personal item is a great way to carry additional essentials like spare clothes, shoes or travel-size toiletries, according to De Vore.
• Put your valuables in your carry-on. If there is something you wouldn’t want missing or ruined, De Vore says to put it in your carry-on bag. Our experts also recommend taking photos of your suitcase and belongings before checking them into the airline.
• Make a photocopy of your passport or ID and keep it in your suitcase. If your wallet or purse goes missing, you’ll need to show proof of identity. Be sure to have copies someplace other than where your original documents are stored.

Meet our experts

At Select, we work with experts who have specialized knowledge and authority based on relevant training and/or experience. We also take steps to ensure that all expert advice and recommendations are made independently and with no undisclosed financial conflicts of interest.

• Sarah Rose De Vore is the founder of The Travel Coach Network and has traveled to more than 84 countries. She was recently named one of 2023’s Most Influential Women in Travel by TravelPulse.
• Susan Henkel has traveled to over 40 countries and is the founder of Ola Travel and Tours , specializing in group travel for women over 50.
• Edyta Satchell is a corporate wellness expert and the founder and CEO of Satchelle Global and Finelle.com, a travel wellness platform for women.
• Marina Radlinski  is a home organizing expert and owner of  Palm Beach Organized .

Why trust NBC Select?

Barbara Booth is a former NBC Select editor who has written a number of guides on bestselling and highly rated products you can buy on Amazon that simplify your life, including bestselling kitchen gadgets and car accessories . For this piece, Barbara interviewed three experts and researched dozens of top-rated travel products on Amazon. We also included some Select staff favorites, along with those that are highly recommended by our experts.

CORRECTION (March 29, 2023, 11:05a.m. ET): An earlier version of this article misstated that Leah Ginsberg has used the Lky Digital Sleep Mask . She has not, but has used a similar style to the one included.

Catch up on NBC Select's in-depth coverage of personal finance , tech and tools , wellness and more, and follow us on Facebook , Instagram and Twitter and TikTok to stay up to date.

Barbara Booth is a former CNBC reporter whose work spans a wide range of business and social topics, including work/life issues, international business and personal finance. In addition to CNBC, her work has been seen in USA Today, Huffington Post, Yahoo Finance, HerMoney, and for various television news programs including the Nightly Business Report.

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The 25 Essential Pasta Dishes to Eat in Italy

Two chefs, one cookbook author, a culinary historian and a food writer made a list of the country’s most delicious meals, from carbonara in Rome to ravioli in Campania.

Credit... Enea Arienti

Supported by

By Deborah Dunn ,  Vicky Bennison ,  Marianna Cerini ,  Robyn Eckhardt ,  Laurel Evans ,  Kristina Gill ,  Andrew Sean Greer ,  Lee Marshall ,  Elizabeth Minchilli ,  Marina O’Loughlin ,  Katie Parla ,  Rachel Roddy ,  Eric Sylvers and Laura May Todd

Photographs by Enea Arienti

• Published May 17, 2024 Updated May 22, 2024

For a food that begins with just flour, water or sometimes eggs, there are infinite variations of pasta. So what happens when you convene a panel of five Italian cuisine experts and ask them to determine the 25 most essential pasta dishes throughout Italy? “I’m sweating,” said Davide Palluda, the chef and owner of All’Enoteca restaurant and osteria in the Piedmont region. “This is too heavy,” he joked during the two-hour video call that I convened to debate his nominations and those of the four other panelists: Stefano Secchi, the chef and a co-owner of New York City’s Rezdôra ; the Tuscany-based cookbook author Emiko Davies ; the Umbria-based culinary historian Karima Moyer-Nocchi ; and the food writer and novelist Roberta Corradin, who lives in Florence, Sicily and Boston. A week before our call, I’d asked each to make their own list of 10 standouts (since he was a panelist, Palluda’s restaurants were automatically excluded); after an energetic debate and several more phone calls, emails and WhatsApp messages, we whittled that list in half. The final picks appear below in unranked alphabetical order, along with the ideal wine to drink with each pasta dish, as recommended by the chosen restaurants and reviewed by Davies’s husband, the sommelier Marco Lami.

This list is the latest in our T 25 series , which highlights significant achievements in the worlds of design, literature , fashion , architecture and food . Previous debates about where to eat right now were confined to major cities like Paris and Mexico City , but this time around, we wanted to see what we might learn if we surveyed the culinary landscape across an entire food-crazed country. We chose pasta because it’s the food most associated with Italy, and because it’s the subject of T’s new Travel issue . It’s also the staple that reveals just how much Italian cooking, even in 2024, remains firmly anchored to a specific place. While most countries have regional fare, Italy is particularly fixated on a recipe’s exact provenance — the town, the valley, the strip of coastline — which is why you’ll often find different pasta shapes or sauces, even over the span of just a few miles.

This culinary diversity informed many of the panelists’ decisions: sometimes, they opted to include a dish because it’s rarely made beyond its birthplace (see Lombardy’s pizzoccheri, No. 12); other times, they chose a favorite sauce (for example, carbonara) or simply a type of pasta like strangozzi (typical of Umbria) since it, like so many local specialties found in the countryside, is paired with different ingredients depending on the time of year.

Only two specific dishes were nominated by more than one panelist: the agnolotti del plin at Madonna della Neve in the Piedmont and the vincisgrassi at Osteria dei Fiori in the Marche region, both centuries-old dishes served at decades-old restaurants. The classics, in general, came up again and again. Even the more idiosyncratic dishes that merited inclusion were riffs on familiar fare: Secchi, for example, made an impassioned plea for the dish called the Crunchy Part of the Lasagna, the chef Massimo Bottura’s technical take on the beloved casserole, offered at his Francescana restaurant at Maria Luigia in Modena, Emilia-Romagna. “If we’re talking about transcendent pasta experiences, that’s it,” Secchi said. (Lasagna, in fact, made a strong showing on this list, which features three varieties.) Secchi suggested one reason the old favorites took primacy: relentless demand.

Northern and central Italy are also overrepresented, perhaps because that’s where most of the participants are based, though Corradin argued that she could easily make an entire list dedicated to any region. And Palluda worried about omitting gnocchi, though there was some disagreement about whether the dumplings usually made with potato and flour are even considered pasta. But Corradin had the final word: “No. Gnocchi is gnocchi. It’s a different chapter. Next time.” — Deborah Dunn

The interview portion has been edited and condensed.

1. The Agnolotti del Plin at Ristorante Madonna Della Neve

Cessole, piedmont.

Overlooking the Bormida valley, Ristorante Madonna della Neve sits opposite the 16th-century chapel for which it’s named. With large windows framing bucolic views, its classic osteria ambience is echoed in its menu of time-honored dishes. While agnolotti is a term used for many kinds of stuffed pasta, especially in Italy’s northwestern Piedmont region, it’s the agnolotti del plin — penny-size filled pasta that’s named for the pinch with which it’s sealed (“pinch” is plin in the Piedmontese dialect) — that are the real star. The manager, Piermassimo Cirio, whose grandparents opened Ristorante Madonna della Neve in 1952 and who sometimes heads up the kitchen, says that meeting the demand for agnolotti del plin requires a full day of filling and folding each week from a crew of staff and family members. And for many guests, the pasta — which is filled with a mixture of ground veal, pork and rabbit, Parmigiano-Reggiano, rosemary and borage — is, in itself, a multicourse meal. Start with the version served al tovagliolo, meaning on a linen napkin without sauce, allowing the gentle sweetness of the filling’s leafy greens to shine. Follow with agnolotti with sage and butter or, more bracingly, sage and lemon juice (Cirio’s invention). Next, try them with a sauce of Bolognese-ish ragù or, as an alternative, the juices and tender scraps of a beef roast (arrosto). For a final course, order a small bowl of agnolotti doused with Barbera wine. Suggested wine pairing: Isolabella della Croce Maria Teresa Barbera d’Asti 2022. — Robyn Eckhardt

2 Reg. Madonna della Neve

Roberta Corradin: I grew up in Piedmont and homemade agnolotti with a roasted meat filling is mandatory.

Karima Moyer-Nocchi: Madonna della Neve is an incredible experience.

Stefano Secchi : I was just there last year and it’s fantastic.

Davide Palluda: I took a picture with the almost 90-year-old [Piera Cirio, Piermassimo’s mother] a few years ago, and I asked her how many agnolotti she’s made in her life. I think a million. She has the forearms! She’s the one that [reminds] all the young chefs in Piedmont why we have to respect [the traditions]. The nicest way to have it is just boiled and naked, without sauce.

Moyer-Nocchi: Oh, yeah, that’s gorgeous. It’s homey and nurturing, and that humble way that it’s served makes it a transformative experience.

2. The Busiate at Duomo

Ragusa ibla, sicily.

The Sicilian chef Ciccio Sultano calls the busiate, an elegant but sturdy corkscrew pasta shape that was historically formed by wrapping the dough around knitting needles (or the stem of a local grass) , “matriarchal.” It’s a specialty of Trapani, on Sicily’s west coast, and usually served with pesto Trapanese: almonds, basil, garlic, tomatoes, pecorino, perhaps a touch of fresh mint. But at Duomo, a gastronomic institution in Ragusa Ibla, on the southern end of the island, Sultano goes much further, imbuing the pasta (always made in-house from heritage grains such as tumminia and perciasacchi) with intense local flavors. The busiate on the current menu features fragrant wild fennel and saffron and a ragù of glittering anchovies and mackerel. And to finish: grated red tuna heart. Another longtime favorite version, which resurfaces from time to time, is the busiate kneaded with rosewater and topped with plump, sweet Mazara prawns (pictured above). Opened nearly 24 years ago, Duomo, as the name suggests, sits in a handsome townhouse down the street from Ragusa Ibla’s dramatic Baroque cathedral, less than an hour from where Sultano took his first job in a kitchen, at a pastry shop, when he was just 13. Eating this dish, he suggests, evokes the island life, culinary influences via Sicily’s many centuries of invaders, from the Greeks and Arabs to the Normans, and the voluptuousness of a cuisine born of the sea. Suggested wine pairing: Pietradolce Archineri Etna Bianco 2018. — Marina O’Loughlin

31 Via Capitano Bocchieri

Corradin: Busiate are Sicily’s version of fusilli. In the western part of Sicily, they make long busiate, which are difficult to eat. If you’re a gentleman, the busiate will slap your tie. That’s the kind that Ciccio Sultano at Duomo makes. The rosewater he puts in the dough gives a hint of the region’s past, when it was under Arab domination. It bounces you back to another time.

3. The Cacio e Pepe at Roscioli Salumeria con Cucina

Made with only pasta, cheese and pepper, cacio e pepe seems downright simple, yet this classic Roman dish is mired with potential pitfalls: cooks know to beware the dreaded clumping. Not only does Roscioli Salumeria con Cucina make a perfect version, they’re unafraid to tweak it when necessary: If the pecorino is fresher, and so less intensely salty, the chefs use only that. If it’s older, they’ll perhaps add some Parmesan to temper the ferocity. Their special blend of ground black peppercorns — including the perfumed, potent Sarawak — makes this simple dish, prepared with tonnarelli (a spaghetti-like egg pasta), memorable. This, at a mere 20 years old, is one of the newer additions to the small Roscioli group of restaurants and bakeries in Rome (a pasticceria also opened 10 years ago). All are popular among tourists, but escaping the chaos of Campo dei Fiori for a seat at the counter here, a glass of red wine in hand, the cacio e pepe in front of you, feels like the real Rome. Suggested wine pairing: Damiano Ciolli Podere Ciriolino Cesanese di Olevano 2022. — M.O.

21 Via dei Giubbonari

Palluda: Cacio e pepe is easy to prepare but it’s not easy to make a good one. Roscioli cooks it the right way, with the right ingredients. If I have the chance I always go when I’m in Rome — if I can get in, it’s a small restaurant — and I always eat the cacio e pepe.

4. The Carbonara at Ristorante l’Arcangelo

Though Rome is the Italian city most often associated with antiquity, carbonara — arguably the most popular of its classic pastas, which also include cacio e pepe, amatriciana and alla gricia — is actually a 20th-century innovation. The dish’s creator and exact place of origin are unknown, but an often-told story involves the arrival of Allied troops in Rome in 1944: The soldiers, or someone cooking for them, allegedly mixed eggs, powdered milk and bacon with pasta. Today, carbonara is usually made with eggs, guanciale (cured pork jowl), pecorino cheese, black pepper and spaghetti. Some chefs use only yolks while others add the whole egg. Some stick to pecorino while others mix in parmigiano. Some pair the sauce with rigatoni instead of spaghetti. Every chef in the city likely believes they make the best version, but the rigatoni alla carbonara at Ristorante l’Arcangelo — a white-tableclothed establishment near Vatican City — has earned its place among the essential dishes of Rome. The silky sauce, salty but not overpowering, evenly coats the rigatoni, pooling just enough in the bottom of the plate so you can dip a piece of bread at the end. The fresh eggs give the dish a vivid yellow hue, and the hefty, crisp pieces of guanciale are doled out with precision; it’s said that the chef personally counts the seven pieces allotted to each plate. Suggested wine pairing: Tenute Filippi Ipazia 2022. — Kristina Gill

59 Via Giuseppe Gioachino Belli

Moyer-Nocchi: I was really torn between including [head chef of Ristorante l’Arcangelo] Arcangelo Dandini’s carbonara or Nabil Hadj Hassen’s. When Nabil was the chef at Salumeria Roscioli, he won a national competition, in 2008, for the best carbonara in Rome. He left Roscioli after 18 years and now he’s at Baccano [also in Rome]. It was a close call between Dandini and Hassen. Post-Covid, when everyone was sitting around thinking about what they were going to do with their lives, Arcangelo made adjustments to the cheeses he uses in the dish. He now uses 80 percent Pecorino Romano sourced locally, from a particular milking. And he’s added 20 percent smoked pecorino di Gavoi from Sardinia, which for him recalls the time when smoking was one of the ways of preserving foods. And he uses these eggs — you’re going to have to trust me — these are just outstanding eggs with the creamiest egg yolks ever. He’s a miraculously inventive chef in the way that he pulls history into his modern iterations of dishes.

Corradin: The carbonara is very good at Arcangelo, and it’s in Prati, a nice bourgeois neighborhood that I believe is also home to several kosher restaurants. It isn’t a place for tourists. Well, in Rome tourists are everywhere, but this is a classic location for real Roman families.

5. The Crunchy Part of the Lasagna at Francescana at Maria Luigia

San damaso, emilia-romagna.

Though it’s served with a fork and spoon, it’s hard to keep your hands off the chef Massimo Bottura’s famous recreation of the coveted corner slice of lasagna. The crispy tower begs to be broken apart with your fingers, the rich ragù and aerated béchamel scooped up, nacho-like, from the plate. To make the dish, Bottura boils spaghetti and then purées it to form a dough, which is divided into three parts, each mixed with a different sauce: basil, Parmigiano-Reggiano or tomato. After being rolled out, the pasta sheets are fried, smoked, and, finally, lightly charred with a torch. The result is somehow both familiar and disorienting: “It’s about feeding people with emotions,” Bottura says. Originally, he served his postmodern take on the homey favorite at his Osteria Francescana , which opened in 1995, but these days it’s available only at Francescana at Maria Luigia , one of the restaurants at Casa Maria Luigia, the guesthouse he opened with his wife, Lara Gilmore, in 2019 in San Damaso, just outside the city of Modena. Here, the sole offering is a nine-course tasting menu comprising Bottura’s well-known dishes, served at communal tables facing an open kitchen. Suggested wine pairing: Comte Lafond Sancerre 2022. — Laurel Evans

56 Stradello Bonaghino

Secchi: I’m biased because I worked at Francescana and I know what it takes [to prepare this lasagna]. It takes three or four days to make. That ragù alone isn’t just made with traditional beef: There’s cheek and side, tongue and a special ingredient I can’t name because Massimo [Bottura] would kill me.

Palluda: Especially in the last 15 years, Massimo Bottura never stops talking about his region, Emilia-Romagna. One of the things he always says is to make good food in Italy, you have to stay with your feet on the land and your brain in the clouds. In his dishes with ragù, you can feel this point of view. Like a lot of guys in Emilia, he probably grew up with the smell of [the sauce] in the house. It’s very important that someone as famous as Bottura still talks about his ingredients and his history — it makes the people and the producers of that region really proud of their home.

6. The Culurgiones at Hotel Ristorante Ispinigoli

Dorgali, sardinia.

From April until October, Hotel Ristorante Ispinigoli serves reimagined Sardinian classics overlooking a patchwork of terraced vineyards, olive groves and fruit orchards that descend toward the Gulf of Orosei on the east coast of Italy’s second-largest island. Among the restaurant’s specialties are culurgiones, fresh pasta parcels filled with a blend of potato, cheese, garlic and mint that are pinched closed, the seams resembling ears of wheat. Native to the Ogliastra subregion of Sardinia that’s about a 90-minute drive south, culurgiones have transcended their hyperlocal origins and are now served across the island, though the filling proportions change from cook to cook. At Hotel Ristorante Ispinigoli, the chef Giovanni Cossu, along with the chef Gian Nicola Mula, leads a multigenerational family-run kitchen that plates them in a novel way: They don’t toss and coat their culurgiones with tomato sauce in the rustic fashion but rather crown each with a spoonful, then top with a dusting of pecorino. Suggested wine pairing: Cantina Tani Taerra Vermentino di Gallura 2022. — Katie Parla

125 Strada Statale

Secchi: This restaurant has been in the family for three generations. It’s about an hour and a half from where my family is from and it has one of the best views in Sardinia. One of the chefs [the nephew of the head chef Cossu] used to work at Osteria Francescana [see No. 5]. He’s cooking traditional pasta, but also doing contemporary things because of his time at high-end restaurants on mainland Italy. I thought he’d go chase the stars, but it’s just the opposite — he wanted to bring everything he learned back home.

7. The Mezzanelli Alla Genovese at Coco Loco

Genoa, the city that lends its name to this meaty pasta sauce, is a good 400 miles from Naples, the place best known for it. Every local seems to have a different origin story for the dish, including the tale that credits Swiss mercenaries for bringing this slow-cooked beef and onion sauce to the southern Italian city sometime around 1495. Though it’s commonly ladled onto short cylindrical pasta shapes such as paccheri or rigatoni, at Coco Loco, which opened in the middle of Naples’s historic center in 1995, the chef and owner, Diego Nuzzo, prefers to use mezzanelli, a longer, skinnier version of ziti. He models his Genovese after the recipe used by monzù, private cooks to the city’s aristocracy in the 18th and 19th centuries who applied French culinary techniques to regional ingredients. Like the monzù, Nuzzo braises the beef shank and lots of red onions in lard rather than olive oil, intensifying the flavor of both ingredients. He then adds white wine, a few cubes of pork and simmers the sauce for up to five hours, adding a little tomato paste toward the end “just to give a touch of color.” But the real secret to the dish, he says, is to choose a dried pasta that doesn’t release too much starch (he prefers the Garofalo brand) to keep the sauce from getting too gluey. Suggested wine pairing: Quintodecimo Terra d’Eclano Irpinia Aglianico 2015. — Lee Marshall

4 Vicoletto Cappella Vecchia

Palluda: It’s difficult to explain to people that this is a [Neapolitan] dish and the name Genovese only refers to the people who moved from Genoa to Napoli. In Genoa, you usually get a pesto condimento [sauce]. Here, it’s a lot of meat and the protagonist of this recipe is the onions. You just color the onion with tomatoes.

Corradin: It’s one of the many geographically confusing dishes in Italian cuisine — like zuppa inglese; inglese means “English” and it’s not English at all. And it’s not a soup at all, it’s dessert. [We call them] false friends.

Moyer-Nocchi: It’s a fabulous dish. That five-hour braise renders something that tastes like a sweet, beef-flavored onion butter that loses whatever negative connotations onions have and becomes a larger-than-the-sum-of-its-parts dish. Diego Nuzzo is the most renowned for [pasta alla Genovese] and [he serves it] in a really elegant setting.

Corradin: And unlike most pastas, in Napoli, pasta alla Genovese is served as a main course.

8. The Minestra di Pasta Mista With Shellfish and Rockfish at La Torre del Saracino

Vico equense, campania.

A meal at La Torre del Saracino, in the seaside town of Vico Equense, is something of a ceremony. It begins in a Medieval watchtower overlooking the Bay of Naples where you’re welcomed with an aperitif (a sparkling Franciacorta, for example) and small bites (perhaps a free range-chicken cacciatora panino) while listening to music chosen by guests from the chef Gennaro Esposito’s vinyl collection, with plenty of 20th-century Neapolitan pop and jazz. Then you’re led down a winding stone staircase to a 20-seat main dining room with high arched windows overlooking the sea. The minestra di pasta mista con crostacei e pesci di scoglio, one of Esposito’s signature dishes, is a nod to the fish soup that the 54-year-old chef, a native of Vico Equense, grew up eating. In those days, it was made mostly with the catch that couldn’t be sold at the markets and typically took hours to prepare. Now, at La Torre del Saracino, it’s a symbol of gleeful abundance: Esposito uses more than a pound and a half of Mediterranean rockfish, shrimps, squid and prawns to make one portion. Still one of the more time-consuming dishes in his repertoire, it involves slow-cooking the rockfish in a light fish stock, then squeezing them in a French duck press to retain the juices. Once all the seafood and San Marzano tomatoes are left to simmer on the stove top, for several hours, he adds a mix of as many as 15 different pasta shapes, both tubes and spirals (families traditionally made minestre like this to use up those annoying bottom-of-the-package leftovers). The pasta is left to cook in the soup so that, in Esposito’s words, “it absorbs all its goodness.” Suggested wine pairing: Mastroberardino Stilema Fiano di Avellino 2015. — L.M.

9 Via Torretta

Palluda: Gennaro Esposito is one of the new generation of chefs from Campania, from Napoli. Twenty-five years ago, it wasn’t so easy to introduce new ideas in Campania — it seemed like you were fighting with tradition, but that’s not why he did it. He learned a lot of new techniques in France [and elsewhere] and then used products that were close to him. He made new recipes without losing the identity of the original one. A lot of young chefs followed him. His minestra pasta is a very interesting dish. You mix in a lot of types of pasta. Every spoonful is different. Like chocolate, you never know what you’re going to get. It’s a very rustic dish, but very technical.

9. The Orecchiette With Broccoli at Ricci Osteria

If you find yourself wandering the whitewashed back streets of a Pugliese town, you’ll likely encounter women gathered near the stoops of their houses, forming semolina flour dough into quarter-size orecchiette, which they leave to dry on netted boxes balanced atop wooden stands. Shaped vaguely like an earlobe (the name translates to little ear) orecchiette is often served with ragù or turnip greens, but among the most beloved variations is one made with broccoli. In Milan, some 550 miles to the north of Italy’s heel, the chefs Antonella Ricci and Vinod Sookar have created their own version of the recipe at the Pugliese-inflected mainstay Ricci Osteria, which opened in 2022. Usually, the dish is made by sautéing parboiled broccoli with garlic, anchovies and mildly spicy pepperoncini in extra virgin olive oil; theirs also includes sweet, soft confit tomatoes. The finishing flourish is a generous sprinkling of crunchy toasted bread crumbs, which serve as the ideal foil to the orecchiette’s chewy texture. Suggested wine pairing: a 2020 negroamaro from Agricola Felline. — Laura May Todd

27 Via Pasquale Sottocorno

Moyer-Nocchi.: Antonella Ricci is from Puglia and her husband and partner in the restaurant [Vinod Sookar] is from Mauritius. And together they really represent Milan. [The city] is a micro-melting pot in Italy that since the end of World War II has pulled in a great exodus from the rural south, because that’s where the jobs were, and then later, a great influx of people of Sri Lankan and Indian origin. It’s good to see a person of color in the position of chef as well, because Italy’s restaurants would not go on without this population.

Palluda : It’s a dish made with briciole [breadcrumbs], which is something you usually throw away. They call it the poor man’s Parmesan. And with these scraps, they’ve built this amazing dish.

10. The Paccheri Alla Vittorio at Da Vittorio

Brusaporto, lombardy.

What happens when a restaurant with such fine-dining pedigree takes on pasta with tomato sauce, one of the simplest of all the primi? You get a creamy, almost velvety rendition that’s become the calling card for Da Vittorio, a luxurious fixture of the northern city of Bergamo since 1966. In the early 2000s, Vittorio Cerea and his family, including his son, the current head chef, Enrico “Chicco” Cerea, moved the restaurant from the historic core of the city to a villa surrounded by parkland, less than five miles outside of town. From there, Enrico expanded the menu, offering innovative dishes like scampi with fermented miso and tempura sardines with a lemon sauce. But diners who come from Milan — about 30 miles to the southwest — and much farther (there’s a heliport and a hotel on the property) often have just one item on their mind: the paccheri alla Vittorio. A cork-size tubular pasta, paccheri are served here slightly al dente and swimming in a sauce made with three types of tomatoes, basil, olive oil and sautéed garlic, thickened at the end with butter and Parmesan. The dish, offered as part of an eight-course tasting menu, also comes with a bib — you’re invited to mop up the sauce with freshly baked farro bread. Suggested wine pairing: Vie di Romans Chardonnay 2020. — Eric Sylvers

17 Via Cantalupa

Palluda: It’s cooked like risotto, meaning that you cook it for just 80 percent of the time in the water, and then you finish the dish directly in the [sauce], and they do that at the table in front of the people.

Secchi: [They serve] it convivio, family-style, which is a beautiful way to do it.

Moyer-Nocchi: What makes the dish so worthy of this list is the sauce. My advice: Opt for the bib.

11. The Pasta con le Sarde at Trattoria Ferro di Cavallo

Palermo, sicily.

When your massive portion of pasta con le sarde at Trattoria Ferro di Cavallo in Palermo is set in front of you, your first thought is likely, “What is this mess of gloopy spaghetti covered with greenish-brown sauce?” But it’s precisely the dish’s aggressively ugly appearance that makes the first bite — and smell — so surprising. The rustic recipe is full of all the contradictions and complexities inherent to Sicilian cooking: High-end ingredients like plump sweet raisins and resinous pine nuts mix with sardines, the poorest of fish, barely boned, to form more of a stew than a pasta sauce; it’s also redolent of wild fennel. The warm, chaotic Trattoria Ferro di Cavallo, which opened in 1944 and is in the heart of the old city, doesn’t take reservations, but with the two big rooms inside, and the large covered terrace outside, you’ll rarely have to wait long. Suggested wine pairing: Tasca d’Almerita Regaleali Bianco 2022. — Elizabeth Minchilli

20 Via Venezia

Moyer-Nocchi: Pasta con le sarde doesn’t get as much attention as it should. Ferro di Cavallo puts a lot of care into it. They have an investment in the tradition of this dish. It’s a very colorful, classic trattoria.

12. The Pizzoccheri at Ristorante Quattro Stagioni

Mantello, lombardy.

Some pasta dishes demand you put aside restraint. Pizzoccheri certainly qualify — the fettuccine-like buckwheat pasta is typically tossed together with copious amounts of Valtellina Casera cheese and butter, potatoes and a vegetable (usually cabbage). Said to be born at least 200 years ago at the foot of the Alps in Valtellina — a valley that runs east from the northern shores of Lake Como — the hearty dish is still the perfect thing to eat at Quattro Stagioni, with its exposed beams, simple wooden chairs and stone fountain in the middle of the main dining room. The restaurant is part of the La Fiorida agriturismo, a working farm that doubles as a country inn, with 29 guest rooms, some 500 animals (mainly cows, goats and sheep), a cheese-making facility and 150 acres of cultivated fields. While the buckwheat is sourced from a nearby farm, nearly everything else used in the pizzoccheri comes from on site. This means that, depending on the time of year, you might find spinach or Swiss chard in your pizzoccheri. “There is no exact recipe because it’s always changing,” says the head chef, Gianni Tarabini. Suggested wine pairing: Nino Negri Inferno Valtellina Superiore 2019. — E.S.

12 Via Lungo Adda

Moyer-Nocchi: Very few pasta dishes use non-wheat flours but the pizzoccheri of Valtellina, made with mostly buckwheat, has been awarded European Union P.G.I. [Protected Geographical Indication] certification, bringing it into the panoply of Italy’s most highly valued traditional dishes. It’s a deeply comforting pasta.

Davies: I love pizzoccheri.

Palluda: I just don’t know if American people know about pizzoccheri.

Davies: Maybe that’s why it should be on the list.

Moyer-Nocchi: La Fiorida makes an excellent pizzoccheri, and it’s a beautiful agriturismo. Very small, local everything.

13. The Rasnal Soup at Maggese

San miniato, tuscany.

The faded grocery store sign still hangs above the door of Maggese in the ancient Tuscan hill town of San Miniato. Step into the small retro-modern interior, glance to the right and there, behind a two-seater counter, you’ll usually find Fabrizio Marino, fielding orders and greeting clients. Opening a vegetarian restaurant in meat-oriented Tuscany back in 2019 was a risk, Marino admits. But he needn’t have worried: Maggese books out days in advance. Rasnal — which he says means “of the Etruscans” — is a soup that’s been a fixture on the Maggese menu from the beginning. It pairs slow-braised seasonal vegetables — some foraged, some cultivated — like wild asparagus and artichoke with a sauce of local red heirloom beans. The dish’s pasta component consists of just four simple, bite-size eggless-pasta parcels made from heirloom flour. Their fillings can change with the seasons — they might be celeriac or chickpeas, pumpkin or carrot — but they always deliver a sweet note to balance the broth’s bitterness. Suggested wine pairing: Il Borghetto Montigiano Sangiovese 2019. — L.M.

29 Via IV Novembre

Davies : I love everything that they do at this restaurant. It’s in my town, San Miniato. We’re in the middle of a place that is very, very well known for red meat. They used to have seven butcher shops in this small town.

Palluda: They eat the vegans there.

Davies: When Maggese opened, it was like this breath of fresh air because everything they do is vegetarian. The owner and head chef [Marino] is from a nearby town and there are a few Japanese chefs [in his kitchen], and they often use ingredients like miso within their dishes. Not in a really obvious way; you just get this little kick of umami. This minestra [reminds me] of pasta e fagioli. When it arrives at the table, the pasta and the soup are separate so you can tip the pasta into the soup or you can eat them separately. It’s a joy.

14. The Ravioli With Ricotta, Walnuts and Burnt Garlic at Oasis Sapori Antichi

Vallesaccarda, campania.

Since the day it opened in 1988, Oasis Sapori Antichi, in the rural town of Vallesaccarda, a two-hour drive east of the Amalfi Coast, has had ravioli with ricotta, walnuts and burnt garlic on the menu. It’s a dish of happenstance: Founder Giuseppina Fischetti neglected a pan on the stovetop and a sauce was born. This could so easily be another accidental origin story, charming but entirely forgettable; but, more than three decades later, it’s become the cornerstone of an exceptional kitchen. Now in the hands of Giuseppina’s five children and grandchildren (both in the kitchen and front of house), Oasis Sapori Antichi focuses primarily on the ingredients grown just outside town, in the territory of Irpinia with its great natural resources. The garlic used in their sauce — toasted, rather than burnt, until it has a savory toffee-like flavor — is blended with the area’s malizia walnuts and olive oil produced by the Fischetti family less than a mile from the front door. The ravioli is also made daily and filled with local cow’s milk ricotta and flecks of minced parsley. The restaurant itself looks like a slightly theatrical living room, with its scattering of Persian rugs and tall candlesticks. But while the service is formal and elegant, the family’s natural ease warms the room. Suggested wine pairing: Boccella Rosa Taurasi Aglianico 2015. — Rachel Roddy

8/10 Via Provinciale

Corradin: The garlic tastes more smoky than burnt. I first had it 14 years ago, and I spent part of my life thinking about when I could go back. I’ve been back several times since.

Palluda: No one has said that to me in my life.

Corradin: The dream of each and every chef.

15. The Spaghetti all’Assassina at Al Sorso Preferito

Bari, puglia.

A few years ago, if you had asked anyone outside of Bari about spaghetti all’Assassina they’d have given you a blank stare. The dish was so specific to the capital of Puglia that only one or two restaurants served it. The method, which was handed down to Pierino Lonigro, the owner of the town’s Al Sorso Preferito, by the supposed inventor of this dish, in the 1960s, involves cooking the spaghetti into a tomato sauce filled with pepperoncini until the mixture forms a crust that’s spicy and slightly crispy. It’s a difficult technique to get right, but Lonigro credits his well-seasoned cast-iron pan that he’s been using for decades. He bought the restaurant in 1974; that same year, he moved it to its current location in the elegant Murat neighborhood. Most locals start with the mixed antipasto, an array of raw and cooked seafood, before having the Assassina. Legend has it that the name of this dish came from the fact that the spiciness of the sauce almost killed customers, though Lonigro’s version, a nice balance of sweetness and mild heat, presents very little danger. Suggested wine pairing: Paololeo Alture Susumaniello 2020. — E.M.

40 Via Vito Nicola De Nicolò

Moyer-Nocchi: While the concept is easy enough, it takes an experienced hand to produce the desired effect: crispy, fiery spaghetti. Al Sorso Preferito may be an unassuming, few-frills restaurant, but it’s the mecca for this dish.

16. The Spaghettone all’Amatriciana at Santo Palato

When you order spaghettone all’amatriciana at Santo Palato near the Basilica di San Giovanni in Rome, the servers tell you that it will take at least 15 minutes. This is both a courtesy and reassurance that the thick spaghetti will be boiled to order, not always the case in a city where, more often than you might imagine, the reliance on precooked pasta keeps service swift, but means the dishes can often lack texture. Santo Palato is a small trattoria, simply furnished and decorated with Futurist-style posters, the daily specials chalked-up on a blackboard. The chef and owner, Sarah Cicolini, sources the spaghettone from a Roman pasta maker called Pastificio Lagano, and the jarred cherry tomatoes from Agricola Paglione, a farm in Puglia. The pigs’ cheek guanciale and the sheep’s milk Pecorino Romano cheese she chooses are also from small producers. One of the four canonical Roman pasta dishes, amatriciana is the sum of these four parts, which Cicolini — often visible through an opening into the kitchen — brings together expertly. Suggested wine pairing: Cantina Ribelà Saittole 2020. — R.R.

4 A/B Piazza Tarquinia

Secchi: When I first went there, about seven years ago, Sarah was one of the very few women in this new avant-garde of Roman chefs, and she was cooking offal, which had always been butch men territory.

Moyer-Nocchi: Santo Palato is a seamless combination of an old trattoria and modern design and it reflects Sarah’s approach to the way she reconceptualizes traditional Roman food.

Secchi: She cooks all the four classic Roman pastas and she does it damn well.

17. The Squash Tortelli at Dal Pescatore Santini

Runate, lombardy.

Tortelli di zucca, a winter squash stuffed pasta, is made a little differently throughout Lombardy but perfected at Dal Pescatore, outside of Mantova (the dish’s supposed birthplace), in the village of Runate. Much can go wrong with this seasonal pasta (at its best in autumn), from the inclusion of amaretti cookies at some places to the addition of strange, mustardy candied fruits at others; it can be too sweet, too spicy, too sour or otherwise unbalanced. Perhaps worst of all, the dish can be oversauced, with a creamy topping drowning out the flavor and texture of the pasta. But at Dal Pescatore, the chefs Nadia and Giovanni Santini have made tortelli the centerpiece: from the slight bite of the outer rim to the tender interior that encloses the filling. The five pieces they provide — which aren’t so much coated with as touched by butter and Parmigiano-Reggiano — are just enough. Suggested wine pairing: Ca’ del Bosco Annamaria Clementi Franciacorta 2015. — Andrew Sean Greer

15 Riserva del Parco Oglio Sud

Secchi: It’s in the middle of nowhere, but they have a helicopter pad there, so people from Milano fly in and have dinner. That place is an institution.

Corradin: The first time I went to Dal Pescatore, Nadia realized I was sick and she cooked me tortellini en brodo [tortellini in broth]; after that, I could’ve eaten a 25-course meal. But I agree with Stefano that the iconic dish there is tortelli di zucca.

18. The Strangozzi at Enoteca L’Alchimista

Montefalco, umbria.

At first glance, strangozzi looks like spaghetti. But unlike that more ubiquitous pasta, which tends to originate in factories, the slightly chubbier strangozzi are hand-rolled, hand-pulled and mostly found in central Italy. At L’Alchimista, established in 2001 in the medieval Umbrian hill town of Montefalco, the chef and co-owner Patrizia Moretti makes it the old-fashioned way: with just water and extra-fine “00” wheat flour, which makes them pleasantly chewy. Go in the warm weather and you’ll likely be seated at an outdoor table in what might be one of Italy’s prettiest piazzas. This, too, is the time of year Moretti serves the pasta with tender greens foraged from nearby fields or with a pesto, made from two of the greens and wild garlic. If you come in summer, you might find your plate of strangozzi tossed with zucchini and in fall, topped with black truffles. Suggested wine pairing: a young trebbiano Spoletino from Tenuta Bellafonte. — E.M.

14 Piazza del Comune

Davies: When I was last there, there was a strangozzi with wild herbs — [ones] no one will have ever heard of that you collect in the Umbrian countryside. It’s just a very simple dish but it’s special . One is called strigoli and another is vitalba, whose English names are not very appetizing (bladder campion and old man’s beard). They’re herbs that need to be picked young and have been foraged for centuries — it’s a really ancient sort of dish.

19. The Tagliolino Cacio e Burro at Cibrèo Caffè

Cibrèo Caffè, the more informal outpost of a small, influential group of restaurants near Mercato Sant’Ambrogio (the locals’ preferred traditional food market), opened in 1983, and it’s still one of Florence’s most inviting places to stop in for a negroni and a snack (say, a pizzetta). But those in the know head straight for the cacio e burro. Here, the ultimate comfort food — pasta doused in melted butter and cheese — is approached with the same earnestness you might expect of fussier fare: Butter, Parmigiano-Reggiano and hot milk are blended together with enough force that it forms a paste, which melts into a cream on contact with the hot pasta — at Cibrèo, it’s tagliolini, the narrower, more delicate sibling of tagliatelle. Its yolk-yellow color, and faint sweetness, comes from the unlikely addition of boiled carrots into the purée. Suggested wine pairing: Podere Erica l’Erica Rosé Sangiovese 2022‌. — M.O.

5r Via Andrea del Verrocchio

Corradin: If we mention Cibrèo, we have to mention the tagliolino cacio e burro.

Secchi: Oh, I agree.

Emiko Davies: Cibrèo is my go-to restaurant in Florence. My husband worked there, as the head sommelier, but he doesn’t anymore. The cacio e burro is still one of my favorite dishes there. Fabio Picchi [the founder of Cibrèo who died in 2022] cheekily called it “rubato,” stolen, because it’s a revisitation of another iconic Florentine dish, the taglierini gratinati from Harry’s Bar, a favorite since the 1950s.

20. The Tagliolini With Lobster at Ristorante Cecio

Corniglia, liguria.

Set atop a steep hill on a particularly dramatic stretch of Italian coastline, Corniglia is considered the quietest of the touristy Cinque Terre villages. When you finally reach town, after climbing a 382-step brick stairway up a rocky cliff from the train station (or taking the shuttle bus), you’ll be ready for a large plate of pasta. Ristorante Cecio in Corniglia — which has been family owned and operated since 1976 — is the place to find it. The menu revolves around local seafood that’s sourced daily and pasta dishes by the head chef, Gabriele Pittavini, who’s honed his craft over the 20 years he spent operating a fresh pasta shop. One favorite is the tagliolini all’astice, a thin, homemade egg pasta with lobster, available for a minimum of two people. At first glance, it’s a flamboyant dish: a cherry-red claw reaches straight up from the ribbons of pasta, adorned with fat morsels of pink meat and a sprinkling of parsley. Half a lobster fills one side of the plate. Upon tasting it, however, you’ll find it showcases the fresh ingredients without overembellishing them. Be sure to reserve a table outside: The view from the veranda alone justifies a visit. Suggested wine pairing: Cinque Terre DOC 2023. — L.E.

58 Via Serra

Davies: I’ve been going here with my family for well over a decade — we love the Cinque Terre but it’s changed a lot and this trattoria has always stayed the same. The seafood is incredibly fresh. There’s nothing like a summertime dinner there.

21. The Tajarin al Ragù at Osteria da Gemma

Roddino, piedmont.

Gemma Boeri has been hand-rolling and cutting tajarin pasta for the locals in Roddino, a small town in southern Piedmont, for almost four decades. “Why would I stop? This is what I know how to do,” she says. The large glass window connecting the dining area of her hilltop trattoria with the prep room affords a view of Boeri and her helpers preparing the long, skinny strands of egg pasta (similar to spaghetti but with a golden hue), while the outside-facing windows overlook the Langhe hills known for producing quality food and wine, including Barolo. Boeri serves the tajarin (the Piedmontese word for tagliolini, a thinner version of tagliatelle) with a thick beef ragù sauce, which she says has won over diners because it reminds them of the comfort food they enjoyed when they were kids. “There’s no secret, I just prepare the food like nonna used to,” she says. It can take several months to get a reservation. Yet da Gemma has nonetheless remained relaxed and unpretentious: its walls lined with photos dating back to when Boeri first started serving customers in 1986. She serves only a single fixed menu that, in addition to the tajarin, includes Piedmontese classics, such as beef tartare and agnolotti del plin, the area’s signature stuffed pasta (see No. 1). Suggested wine pairing: Agricola Gianpiero Marrone La Pantalera Barbera d’Alba Superiore 2020. — E.S.

6 Via Guglielmo Marconi

Palluda: Every month I go see Gemma just to kiss her hand. It’s true, I’m not joking. She’s our pope.

Secchi: Her place is in the mountains. It’s very hard to get to, and it’s very blue-collar. When you sit down to eat, everything is served family-style, and the amount of food that comes to your table is … I mean, completely unnecessary. Gemma is like the original nonna. A few times a week, all the nonnas in the village come to roll pasta with her, and then they all sit down together for lunch. How does that tradition carry on when her time passes? There’s got to be a way.

22. The Tortelloni With Ricotta, Parmesan and Butter at Hosteria Giusti

Modena, emilia-romagna.

Salumeria Giusti , in operation since at least 1605, is reported to be the world’s oldest delicatessen, but that’s not its only claim to fame. Beyond the antique wood and marble counter a hallway leads to a tiny dining room with only four tables. Reservations here are among Modena’s most coveted, especially after the restaurant, a favorite of locals for decades, was featured on the Netflix series “Master of None” in 2017. Daniele Morandi, whose grandparents opened Hosteria in 1989, is in charge of the pasta making. He rolls out each sheet of dough by hand with a long wooden pin and shapes every raviolo and tortellino with skill and speed he learned from his grandmother. Among his most popular offerings are tortelloni — pillowy larger versions of typical Modenese tortellini — filled with a mix of local ricotta, aged Parmigiano-Reggiano, spinach and freshly grated nutmeg. Bathed in an emulsion of pasta water and unpasteurized French butter, the dish is a study in simplicity. (Lunch only, though dinner can be prearranged for groups of 12 or more.) Suggested wine pairing: Corte d’Aibo Spungola Sauvignon Blanc 2022. — L.E.

75 Via Luigi Carlo Farini

Secchi: I worked there when I first moved to Modena, but only after I went to 30 different places to taste fresh pasta. In terms of technique and ambience, Giusti blew my mind. And that tortelloni? I think the ricotta is still warm when it’s delivered to the kitchen. It just disintegrates in your mouth.

23. The Traditional Lasagna at Al Cambio

Bologna, emilia-romagna.

In a bland, busy neighborhood not far from Bologna’s exhibition center, Al Cambio has been drawing a business crowd during weekday lunches and couples and families for dinner and on weekends for the past three decades. After booking weeks in advance, they file into the spare, white and beige dining room, debate the offerings on the extensive wine list (dominated by varieties from the Emilia-Romagna region) and settle in for a long lunch or dinner of local specialties, from breaded veal cutlets and mortadella to sformatino (a type of potato soufflé). But the most ordered — and scrutinized — dish is the one that bears the city’s name: lasagna alla Bolognese. Like most places in town, Al Cambio offers a seven-layer lasagna made with jade-green spinach noodles sandwiched between coats of béchamel and ragù. But Al Cambio’s ragù is meatier than most, made with beef minced together with prosciutto and pork sausage, and then topped with a thick layer of the ragù, the “final flourish,” as the manager Piero Pompili says: “It’s our way of symbolizing Bologna’s food heritage.” Suggested wine pairing: San Patrignano Avi Sangiovese di Romagna Superiore Riserva 2019. — Vicky Bennison

150 Via Stalingrado

Stefano Secchi: People are going to have a lot of opinions about where to find the best [lasagna alla Bolognese in Bologna], but for me, this is it. It has the perfect amount of crispness and gooeyness.

24. The Trofie With Pesto at Antica Osteria di Vico Palla

Pesto alla Genovese — the pungent bright green sauce made from basil, extra-virgin olive oil, Parmigiano-Reggiano, pecorino, pine nuts, garlic and salt — can be tossed with almost any shape of pasta, from spaghetti to fusilli. Its most authentic pairing, however, is trofie, a short, hand-twisted noodle typical of Recco , just down the coast from Genoa. It’s here that the most commonly known pesto originated (what’s thought to be the earliest printed recipe appeared in the 1863 book “La Cuciniera Genovese”), and at Antica Osteria di Vico Palla the dish is served at its most elemental. The rustic restaurant — where patrons sit at simple wooden tables laid with brown paper place mats under vaulted brick ceilings that date back to the 1500s — serves its trofie pesto mixed with boiled potatoes and green beans, as local families have for generations. The menu changes daily; ask for this dish if you don’t see it. Suggested wine pairing: a young vermentino di Albenga from the Ligurian coast. — Marianna Cerini

15/r Vico Palla

Palluda: You can’t have a list of Italian dishes without pesto. It’s the most popular condimento in the world. It’s very light, it’s modern, and it’s easy to make. If you want to blend it, instead of making it with a mortar, and you want to make a good, lively pesto, you really should have cold ingredients.

Corradin : In Genoa, poor people added potatoes and green beans to their pasta with pesto to make it a piatto unico, richer in nutrients but still affordable. [It’s common] to eat it scarpetta, the Italian ritual of scraping up the remaining sauce with bread. But here you use potatoes instead of bread. The beauty of this kind of dish and this kind of trattoria is that they’re both reminders that, in Italy, you don’t have to be rich to enjoy a good meal.

25. The Vincisgrassi at Osteria Dei Fiori

Macerata, marche.

Tourists tend to flock to Macerata, a small hilltop city in the eastern part of the Marche region, for two reasons: The summer opera festival and the decidedly unsummery seven-layer baked pasta dish known as vincisgrassi. Letizia Carducci, one of the three siblings who have been running the 30-seat Osteria Dei Fiori, which opened in 1980 on a cobblestone street close to the main square, says the dish evolved from princisgras, a pasta casserole made with black truffles and prosciutto that was served to the local nobility in the 18th century. In the Marcerate province, resourceful housewives made a ragù using meat from various farmyard animals, including bones and offal; that’s the recipe that Iginia and her brother, Paolo (they cook; their sister Letizia is the maitre’d), have built on to make their vincisgrassi, which consists of duck, chicken, rabbit and a little pork. Dessert wine, vino cotto, also plays a key role: It’s added to the dough that the Carduccis knead into silk-thin pasta sheets, then used to saute the chicken and duck livers, which are stirred into the sauce at the very end. The meaty ragù covers the four bottom layers, while the top one is reserved for the nutmeg-inflected béchamel sauce. Baked in an oven, the whole thing is both earthy and luxurious, with subtle hints of smoke. Suggested wine pairing: Gàjole Verdicchio di Matelica 2021. — V.B.

61 Via Lauro Rossi

Secchi: What is vincisgrassi? I’ve never had it.

Corradin: It’s Macerata’s ancestral lasagna. One story says that it’s named for an Austrian officer named Windisch-Graetz who was stationed in Macerata province around the early 1800s.

Moyer-Nocchi: Lasagna has become a specific dish, associated with a specific place. The Maceratese prefer not to call their dish a lasagna, even though it, too, is a rich, layered pasta dish.

Palluda: When these dishes were born, there were no computers [people didn’t sit all day] and no radiators. They stayed warm with a fire, but with the food also. They expended calories to stay warm. People ate just one meal every day.

Moyer-Nocchi: Historically, you’d only eat these things once or twice a year. It’s not like you’d be picking these dishes off a menu every day. In the meantime, you’d be eating much more frugally: cabbage, beans, leafy greens.

Palluda: Somebody said to me, “Why don’t you make some of these traditional pastas lighter?” But that’s not the right way to respect the dishes. We can make the portions smaller, but you need to keep the flavor.

Photo editor: Lauren Poggi

Research editor: Alexis Sottile

Copy editor: Magnus Schaefer

An earlier version of this article misidentified the restaurant where Nabil Hadj Hassen was the chef in 2008; it was Salumeria Roscioli, not Antico Forno Roscioli.

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6 essential new midwest travel experiences for summer 2024.

Minnesotans are already accustomed to supersized attractions — and travel ties to Nordic heritage. So an invasion of towering trolls should fit right in with this summer's lineup of road-trip enticements.

Vacationers this year can also steam themselves in a sauna floating on a lake, hop a new train to Chicago, plunge down the new tallest water slide in America, and find more places to stay and play from Duluth to the Brainerd Lakes.

Here's a look at what's up in the summer of 2024.

Troll takeover of Detroit Lakes

Danish artist Thomas Dambo is building six giant trolls out of wood and recycled pallets in the parks and woods around Detroit Lakes, Minn. They will add to Dambo's global installation of more than 120 trolls, which can be found in 18 states. They sit cross-legged at the Philadelphia Zoo, peek around trees in Washington state, and even lounge on a beach in Singapore, each with its own personality and narrative.

"In the old stories, trolls are the creatures that live in the forest, and they represent nature," said Dambo, who considers himself a recycling artist and activist. "They are the unspoken voice of the plants and animals."

He keeps his work family-friendly with a whimsical feel and imaginative touches, but also with a message about reducing waste. The Minnesota installation — his largest in the U.S. — will also include his tallest troll yet, at 36 feet.

With the help of more than 250 volunteers, the trolls are expected to be finished by mid-June, when people can visit downtown Detroit Lakes to get the first clues for an interactive experience. Locations will stretch between Fargo and Perham, Minn., as the story leads to additional trolls that can be purposely tricky to find.

"It's a big, free, outdoor, recycled fairy tale to go out and explore," Dambo said. Updates will be available through the nonprofit Project 412 ( project412mn.org/trolls-dl ).

New lodging and fun in Duluth's Lincoln Park

Fans of Duluth – especially those looking for good food and local drink — will have more places to spend the night in the city's increasingly popular Lincoln Park Craft District.

The Duluth Press Building, originally financed by "Buffalo Bill" Cody for his sister to run a printing press in 1894, has been renovated by the owners of Duluth Grill into eight one- and two-bedroom suites that are pet-friendly and have full kitchens ( duluthpressbuilding.com ).

Most guests will be tempted, though, by the dozens of eateries popping up along the Superior Street corridor, including OMC Smokehouse, Corktown Deli & Brews, and Burger Paradox.

Zenith Basecamp, described as "indoor glamping" or hostel-style lodging, also is expected to open by late summer. It will feature private dog-friendly rooms, a communal lounge, cocktail bar and easy access to guided activities through Zenith Adventure ( zenithbasecamp.com ).

The new accommodations join newish ventures blending residential apartments with vacation rentals: Lincoln Park Boutique Hotel, which opened in 2022, and Enger Lofts Hotel and Marketplace, which rents 15 rooms in a renovated warehouse.

Also new this summer: Visitors can buy a Duluth Passport to get three attractions — Great Lakes Aquarium, North Shore Scenic Railroad and the William A. Irvin lake freighter — for the price of two ( duluthpassport.com ).

A new train to new Chicago attractions (and the Dells)

Amtrak service between St. Paul and Chicago is not new. But there are three advantages to the new Borealis train over the long-running Empire Builder on the same track: fare, speed and reliability.

We're seeing one-way fares as low as $41-$50 or $98-$108 for business-class seats, although private rooms are not available on the new train. At seven hours and 24 minutes from St. Paul's Union Depot to Chicago's Union Station, Borealis shaves about 30 minutes off the Empire Builder's travel time. And since Borealis isn't coming all the way from Seattle or Portland, passengers can count on fewer delays ( amtrak.com/borealis-train ).

It's a good time for a long weekend in Chicago. At the Field Museum, the " Unseen Oceans " exhibit lets you "pilot" a submersible in a lifelike underwater environment, while the rare Chicago Archaeopteryx fossil reveals the link between dinosaurs and birds. The Navy Pier's new Flyover experience virtually thrills riders with a view of the city from above. And at the Chicago History Museum, " City on Fire: Chicago 1871 ″ immerses visitors (not literally, we hope) in the historic blaze. (Reserved tickets for all are a must.)

You say Chicago is too far? Amtrak also stops in Red Wing and Winona, Minn., plus La Crosse, Wis., Milwaukee and Wisconsin Dells, where the new tallest water slide in America, the 145-foot Rise of Icarus , is now open at Mount Olympus theme park.

Glamp sites double on North Shore

North Shore Camping Co. has doubled its number of platform tents to 30, following their popularity after opening in 2023 near Beaver Bay, Minn.

Tucked into the hillside across Hwy. 61 from Cove Point Lodge, the glamping tents include beds, potbelly stoves and basics for campfire cooking, plus a shared shower and bathroom building, campfire programs, naturalist activities and barrel saunas.

Bonus: Glamping guests may use the pool at Cove Point Lodge and access the Lake Superior shoreline there. Bikes can be rented for the nearby Split Rock Wilds mountain bike trails or to ride the paved Gitchi-Gami State Trail to Split Rock Lighthouse and Gooseberry Falls state parks ( northshorecampingco.com ).

Saunas are floating now

If the thought of jumping into Lake Superior makes your teeth chatter, the key is to warm up first. Cedar + Stone Nordic Sauna opened in late 2023 on a barge docked at Duluth's Pier B. Up to 10 guests can get hot and steamy before taking the cold plunge into the Great Lake ( cedarandstonesauna.com ).

Sisu + Löyly, which has saunas in Grand Marais and Lutsen, also claims the country's first public floating sauna, a trend that originated in Norway. Reserve its sauna for up to six people floating at the dock of Skyport Lodge on Grand Marais' Devil Track Lake, through summer and early fall ( sisuandloyly.com ).

Brainerd area ups its resort and golf game

Quarterdeck Resort, a Gull Lake resort that opened in 1957, has completed a major makeover and expansion. It modernized its 18-room lodge and restaurant with a new exterior and contemporary menus, renovated six five-bedroom lake houses, and added the QD Social, a central recreational and entertainment area. The new gathering place includes a year-round heated outdoor pool, a 20-person sauna, outdoor fire tables, an indoor fireplace, large-screen TVs and games.

For larger get-togethers, the resort also built six lake lofts with five to six bedrooms each. Sixteen new woodsmoke cabins have two- to three-bedroom units ( quarterdeckresort.com ).

Meanwhile, Minnesota golf legend Tom Lehman has helped Cragun's Resort with its $15 million renovation and expansion of its Legacy courses, adding to the Brainerd Lakes Area's wealth of golf courses.

In addition to the Dutch 18, a 7,000-yard par-70 course with white sand bunkers, the Lehman 18 leads golfers through a 1,000-acre sanctuary that winds around Stephens Lake and natural wetlands and features stacked-sod bunkers. By next year, another nine holes will be added to the Dutch 18 course ( craguns.com ).

Star Tribune travel editor Simon Peter Groebner contributed to this story.

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I'm a Packing Expert, and the 14 Travel Accessories That Help Me Double My Suitcase Space Are on Sale From $7

From packing cubes to tech organizers to my go-to handheld steamer.

Travel + Leisure / Jaclyn Mastropasqua

As a travel writer and the founder of packing site Just Packed , I’ve found that there’s only one way to minimize stress and maximize efficiency within the packing process: preparation. No matter the length of your trip, it’s always beneficial to take the time to think through what (and how) you’re packing. Sometimes, that means devising a list of your trip outfits a week before your departure. Other times, it’s ensuring your bathroom cabinets are well-stocked with travel-sized toiletries for easy grab-and-go packing the night before. 

With summer travel just days away — and can’t-miss Memorial Day sales already popping up online — now’s the perfect time to begin your packing game plan for the next few months. I recommend taking stock of the packing essentials you currently have (things like suitcases, packing cubes, and toiletry bags), and determining if there are any you may need to acquire or replace. And if you’re not sure which pieces to invest in for an overall easier time packing? I can help. 

Below, I combed through Amazon’s travel gear deals to find the best, highest-reviewed packing essentials, including a set of packing cubes and a durable, expandable suitcase. With these items in your travel arsenal, you’ll be completely ready to take advantage of any last-minute trips or weekend getaways this season — and you won’t have to spend a ton of money to do so. 

Hotor Packing Cubes

I’m a firm believer that every traveler can benefit from using packing cubes – whether they’re traveling with a carry-on or a checked bag. They’re ideal for keeping the contents of your suitcase organized, and I find they’re also useful for storing dirty clothes, damp bathing suits, or anything you’d rather keep separate from everything else. I usually suggest opting for sets of packing cubes that come with a variety of sizes, like this one from Hotor. For under $10, you get three packing cubes, a shoe bag, a drawstring pocket, and an underwear bag. 

Traveler's Choice Pagosa Carry-On Spinner

Suitcases can run the gamut in price, but you don’t have to spend a pretty penny for a high-quality, decent-sized piece of luggage. Case in point: The Traveler's Choice Pagosa Carry-On Spinner, which is currently on sale for under $70 (in certain colors). Armed with a scratch and water-resistant polypropylene hardshell, the bag comes with a built-in USB port, an interior power bank compartment, and 360-degree spinner wheels. It also has top and side rubber carry handles and an adjustable telescoping handle for greater maneuverability. Finally, all good carry-ons should have at least a couple of interior organization functions, and this one is designed with several zippered pockets and interior compression straps to keep your clothing secure. 

Vorspack Transparent Shoe Bags

Packing cubes usually steal the spotlight in the travel world, but don’t sleep on transparent (and affordable) shoe bags. Most travelers buy them to keep more delicate shoes from scuffing while in transit, but I also tend to use them to transport toiletries, socks, underwear, or other smaller-sized items. I might even pack an empty one or two — as they hardly take up any precious suitcase real estate — in case I have a need for an extra bag or organizational compartment during my trip.  

Iniu Portable Charger

There are some travel stresses that simply cannot be avoided (like delayed or canceled flights). Your phone battery dying because you can’t find a working outlet, however, does not need to be one of them. The night before I’m set to travel somewhere, I always make sure my portable charger is full of power and safely packed away in my bag. By buying a charger like this one from Iniu, I’ve never again had to experience the stress of arriving at my destination, only to realize I can’t call an Uber or access Google Maps until I find a plug to revive my phone battery. 

Raycon Everyday Bluetooth Wireless Earbuds 

For a long time, I swore by my large, noise-canceling headphones. While they’re comfortable and nearly impossible to lose, they take up a not-insignificant amount of room in my bag. To pack a bit lighter, I’ll switch out the bulky headphones for a pair of earbuds, like the Raycon Everyday Bluetooth Wireless Earbuds. On sale for 25 percent off, they’re the perfect alternative when you want to listen to your music or audiobook on the go, but you don’t have a ton of extra space. 

Kebnor Handheld Travel Steamer

The key to looking put-together while traveling is simple: You need a steamer. Forget the hotel iron (it takes too long to set up anyway), and leave the extra-large steamer at home. Instead, whip out the Kebnor Handheld Travel Steamer, currently marked down by 33 percent. In just 15 seconds, it will steam for eight minutes, allowing you to quickly freshen up your linen top or wrinkled pants. Plus, it’s small enough to easily slip into a personal item bag or a tiny space between your packing cubes. 

Tocelffe TSA Approved Silicone Travel Containers

Any traveler with a set beauty or skincare routine will know the struggle of packing your toiletries. Not all shampoos, conditions, moisturizers, and serums come in travel-sized containers, and you’ll frequently need to transport them in smaller containers when you’re only traveling with a carry-on bag — or risk airport security throwing them away. By having these Tocelffe TSA Approved Silicone Travel Containers on hand, you can use the funnel or spatula (both of which come with the set) to easily transfer your favorite products into either the silicone bottles, spray bottles, or cream jars. 

Bevegekos Cord Organizer Storage Case

Organization comes naturally to some travelers. For others, it’s a constant struggle, usually accented by unnecessary stress and worry. If you fall into the latter camp, you may benefit from the Bevegekos Cord Organizer Storage Case. Marked down to under $7, the travel pouch is designed to keep all of your electronic gadgets — like a power bank, charger cables, earbuds, and adapters — stored safely in one place. Gone are the days of digging through your backpack in a panic, searching for your charger or extra battery before your phone dies. 

Niveaya Hat Clip

If the beach, pool, or a generally strong sun will make an appearance in your travel plans this summer, you might be contemplating bringing along a sun hat. While important for sun protection, a wide-brimmed hat isn’t always the easiest accessory to pack — unless you use a magnetic hat clip. On sale for under $22, the Niveaya Hat Clip snaps onto your hat and then clips onto your tote bag or backpack, allowing for hands-free transportation. Thank me later.

Vorolo Crossbody Belt Bag

Whenever I’m flying, I’ll usually have an empty shoulder bag or belt bag tucked into my carry-on suitcase or personal item bag. That’s because while I like to have a smaller, on-the-go bag to use upon arrival, I also want to avoid an extra bag charge. The Vorolo Crossbody Belt Bag is the perfect example of this type of packable accessory. Not only is it functional (the nylon material is waterproof), but it’s sleek enough to wear with a variety of outfits and it can be worn as a crossbody bag, fanny pack, or an across-the-chest style. 

Travel Inspira Luggage Scale

A few years ago, I finally caved and bought a luggage scale — and I’ve never looked back. Prior to leaving for the airport, I’ll use it to measure the weight of my checked bag (instead of hoping for the best upon check-in). It’s also small enough to bring along on trips. That way, if you happen to pick up a few souvenirs, you can reweight the contents of your suitcase and adjust accordingly. I promise this will be the best $8 you’ve ever spent. 

Balulhg Travel Toiletry Bag 

A reliable, spacious toiletry bag is non-negotiable in my book, and I even have a few different shapes and sizes that I can alternate between on trips. One of my favorites is a hanging toiletry bag. It has enough room for all of my everyday products, and it’s designed so I don’t have to go digging through the bag to pull out a particular one. This style from Balulhg comes in two sizes, medium and large (as well as a variety of colorways), so you can pick whichever one makes the most sense based on how many products you typically travel with. 

Npcqun Compact Umbrella

An umbrella is often a forgotten packing essential, but I’ve learned the hard way you should always have one tucked into your luggage. While you might not use it every day, it’s the type of item that can make or break a trip, especially if you’re traveling somewhere with an ever-changing forecast. When broken down, this umbrella is only 11.5 inches in length, and it can easily be tucked into the bottom of your tote bag or the side of your suitcase. 

Molnia Travel Backpack

If you, like me, rarely travel without a laptop, it might be time to reevaluate how you’re transporting it from place to place. I try to always carry mine in a backpack, as it saves any undue pressure on my shoulders or arms. Marked down by 20 percent with an on-page coupon, this travel backpack can fit more than just a laptop, though. There’s plenty of space for clothes, a pair of shoes, a book, and even a small toiletry kit. And the best part? It’s still compact enough to fit under the airplane seat in front of you.

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