Spaghetti alla chitarra has what cross-section shape?

Spaghetti alla chitarra has a square cross-section. Unlike ordinary round spaghetti, this Abruzzo pasta is cut into long, narrow strands with four relatively flat sides.

The pasta is traditionally made by placing a sheet of dough over a tool called a chitarra, Italian for “guitar.” The frame has parallel wires stretched across it. A rolling pin presses the dough through the wires, cutting it into square strands and giving the pasta its name.

The strands are usually about 2–3 millimetres thick. Their porous, angular surface can hold sauce effectively, and the pasta is commonly served with robust preparations such as meat ragù. In Abruzzo, a traditional version is often paired with tiny meatballs known as pallottine.

The name can cause confusion because “spaghetti” is generally associated with a round cross-section. Spaghetti alla chitarra is a distinct regional style; related forms include tonnarelli in Lazio. The tool, rather than a decorative shape added after cooking, creates the pasta’s characteristic profile.