Siena province, Val d'Orcia, and the Maremma in southern Tuscany. Pici are documented in Sienese cookery from the medieval period. The shape is specifically hand-formed — machine-made pici approximate the shape but not the texture.
Pici are the hand-rolled thick spaghetti of the Senese (Siena province) and Val d'Orcia — made from 00 flour, water, a little olive oil, and sometimes a small amount of egg, rolled by hand on a wooden board into thick, uneven cylinders that vary in diameter and are always longer than manufactured spaghetti. They are rough-surfaced and al dente with a pleasingly clumsy character. Aglione (aglione della Valdichiana — a large, mild garlic variety) forms the classic sauce: crushed in olive oil with peeled tomatoes and a pinch of chilli until the garlic dissolves into a sweet, aromatic sauce.
The rough surface of hand-rolled pici grips sauce in a way smooth pasta cannot. In aglione sauce, the pasta absorbs the sweet, dissolved garlic and tomato — the thick pasta carries a significant volume of sauce per forkful. The eating experience is bold and satisfying, distinctly different from refined egg pasta.
Pici are rolled by hand — a small piece of dough is set on the board, the palms roll it outward in a back-and-forth motion, stretching and elongating until it reaches the desired thickness (4-6mm diameter, much thicker than spaghetti). The roughness is a feature, not a flaw — the irregular surface grips sauce. Aglione garlic is much milder and larger than standard garlic; each clove is crushed flat, not minced, and cooked very gently in olive oil for 10-15 minutes until it turns golden and begins to dissolve. Add peeled tomatoes and cook until the sauce is thick and the garlic completely melted into it.
Pici take practice — the first batch will be uneven, which is fine; the hand-rolled character is part of the charm. Dust the pici generously with semolina to prevent sticking before cooking. The aglione sauce should be so gentle in garlic flavour that even people who avoid garlic can eat it — this is the promise of the Valdichiana variety. A cacio e pepe variation (pici cacio e pepe) is equally classic.
Rolling pici too thin — they become spaghetti, not pici. Using standard garlic for aglione sauce — the flavour is too sharp; aglione is sweet and mild after cooking. Rushing the garlic — it should cook very gently; brown garlic in the aglione sauce is a mistake. Over-saucing — pici's virtue is in the pasta texture; the sauce should coat, not overwhelm.
Marcella Hazan, Marcella's Italian Kitchen; Faith Willinger, Eating in Italy