Typical dish of Siena
Pici with aglione garlic
Pici with aglione garlic are long, thick strands of hand-rolled fresh pasta, rough and irregular, perfect for catching every drop of sauce. The dressing is bright red and fragrant, prepared with aglione garlic from the Valdichiana: a large garlic variety with a surprisingly delicate flavor, slowly cooked in tomato. On the palate the dish is enveloping, rustic, and aromatic, with a gentle sweetness that accompanies the pasta without overpowering it. It is the quintessential first course on Sienese tables, served both in trattorias and in home kitchens.
Season: Tutto l'anno€9–14
Why it matters
For Siena and the Valdichiana, pici with aglione garlic embody the essence of rural cooking: simple ingredients, manual preparation, and clear, honest flavors. Pici, rolled by hand one by one, reflect a domestic craft passed down through generations and are now one of the most recognizable gastronomic symbols of the Sienese territory.
Origin story
The roots of pici likely date back to Etruscan or medieval times, when rural communities prepared a humble pasta made only of flour and water. The aglione sauce developed in the Valdichiana thanks to the local cultivation of this large, mild garlic, used to flavor tomato without making it harsh. Over time, the meeting of hand-rolled pici and this sauce became one of the signature dishes of Sienese cuisine.
Typical ingredients
pici freschiaglione della Valdichianapomodori pelatiolio extravergine d'olivapeperoncino
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Where to eat Pici with aglione garlic in Siena
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