Pici all'Aglione Senese — the Original Recipe from the Val di Chiana

Pici all'Aglione is the identity dish of Sienese cuisine: a handful of ingredients, one pan, thirty minutes of cooking and a tradition that was born in the fields of the Val di Chiana. But beware — it is not "pasta with garlic and tomato". It is a specific dish with a specific ingredient, and if you use regular garlic you get something different.

🧄 What is Aglione from the Val di Chiana (and Why It Is Not Garlic)

The first and most important point of the recipe: aglione is not garlic. It is a different botanical species (Allium ampeloprasum), historically grown in the Val di Chiana between the provinces of Siena and Arezzo. The bulbs are enormous — they can reach 500–800 grams — with cloves as large as tangerine segments and a flavour far sweeter and more delicate than regular garlic. The sharpness is barely present, bitterness is absent, and digestibility is on a completely different level.

The species was on the brink of extinction until the 2000s, when a group of Val di Chiana farmers launched a recovery project. Today the Aglione della Valdichiana is a protected PAT and a Slow Food Presidio. The practical consequence for the recipe: you can use much more aglione than you would garlic. Four to six cloves of aglione per 500 g of pici corresponds roughly to just one tiny clove of regular garlic.

📋 Ingredients (serves 4)

⏱ Prep 10 min · Cooking 30 min (sauce) + 12–14 min (pici) · Total ≈ 40 min

👨🍳 Step-by-Step Recipe

Step 1 — Prepare the aglione

Peel 4–6 aglione cloves. Cut each clove lengthways and remove the green central shoot. Then crush the cloves with the flat of a knife — do not chop into small pieces; they should release their flavour slowly into the oil, not fry in fragments.

Step 2 — Soften in extra virgin olive oil

In a wide pan heat 4 tbsp Tuscan olive oil with the crushed aglione. Low heat, never medium. The aglione must turn golden, never burn: if it darkens, the entire sauce becomes bitter and the recipe is ruined. Five minutes of patience is the non-negotiable rule.

Step 3 — Add the tomatoes

Add 400 g tomatoes, a pinch of salt and optionally a piece of fresh chilli. Briefly raise heat until it begins to simmer, then return to low heat. Cook uncovered for 20–25 minutes: the sauce should reduce and become creamy.

Step 4 — Cook and toss the pici

Bring a large pot of water (at least 4 litres per 500 g pici) to the boil and salt with 10 g coarse salt per litre. Add Pici Fabianelli and cook 12–14 minutes. Before draining, reserve a large ladleful of pasta water. Drain the pici and add directly to the sauce pan. Full heat for one minute, toss two or three times adding half a ladle of pasta water each time. Serve immediately on warm plates.

🍷 Wine Pairings

🍷 Rosso di Montepulciano DOC — the most natural territorial pairing: same area of origin as the aglione. Chianti Classico DOCG is a classic alternative. 🫒 A drizzle of Tuscan olive oil raw just before serving makes a difference.

⚠️ The Most Common Mistakes

Using regular garlic instead of aglione. The result is an acceptable aglio-olio-pomodoro, but it is not pici all'aglione.

Burning the aglione. Low heat, five minutes, golden. Burnt aglione ruins the entire sauce irreparably.

Cooking pici in too little water. Pici are thick and release starch. Minimum 4 litres per 500 g pici.

Skipping the tossing step. Pouring the sauce directly on the pici on the plate is wrong. The pici must be tossed in the sauce pan with the pasta water.

🤝 HoReCa

Pici all'Aglione is a signature dish for restaurants with a Tuscan menu. Fabianelli Pici (PAT-certified, bronze die-cut) + Aglione della Valdichiana (PAT Presidio) + Tuscan DOP olive oil: three certified ingredients with stories the front-of-house can tell at the table. For regular supplies: info@salumeriatoscana.shop

❄️ Delivery

Shipped every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday for delivery by Friday. Vacuum-packed · Refrigerated +2/+4 °C · Guaranteed cold chain.

❓ FAQ

Where can I buy aglione outside Italy?
Fresh aglione is available July–September at farmers' markets in the Val di Chiana. Outside season, dried bulbs or aglione in oil can be found from small producers on specialised Tuscan e-commerce platforms.

Can I substitute aglione with red Nubia garlic or Voghiera garlic?
No — even though they are excellent PDO/PGI garlics, they remain garlic. The aromatic profile is different. If aglione is unavailable, better choose a different traditional Tuscan sauce — wild boar ragù.

Is pici all'aglione vegan?
Yes, without pecorino the recipe is completely plant-based. Contains gluten (wheat pasta).

🧺 Want to Cook this Recipe?

All the key ingredients are in our catalogue: Tuscan Artisan Pici Fabianelli bronze die-cut 500 g and Pecorino Toscano DOP Stagionato to finish. Browse the full Tuscan pasta and sauces selection.