Just outside Naples and the Amalfi coast, Gragnano is reputed as the birthplace of dried pasta. There, a consortium of small producers, the Cooperativa di Pasta Gragnano, produces the region's most traditional cuts, strictly adhering to artisan production techniques of yesteryear.

Using only bronze dies and slow-drying tecnhiques, the Cooperativa crafts pasta of unbelievably rough texture and palate-bursting flavor. Today, they are at the forefront of a local effort to preserve the artisan traditions behind the legendary Gragnano name.

Literally "snail," these large, basket-shaped shells are terrific stuffed with cheese and vegetables.