What is the Italian name for béchamel sauce?

The Italian name for béchamel sauce is besciamella.

Besciamella is the Italian form of the French sauce béchamel, one of the classic “mother sauces” of European cooking. It is made by whisking milk into a pale roux of butter and flour, then seasoning the mixture—often with salt and a little nutmeg—until it becomes smooth and thick.

In Italy, besciamella is especially important in baked pasta dishes from Emilia-Romagna. It adds moisture and richness to lasagne, cannelloni, pasta al forno and timballi, where it is often layered with ragù, pasta and cheese.

The word can be confusing because Italian cooking also uses the older or regional name balsamella. That is a variant, not the standard answer expected for the modern Italian term. Bechamella and besciamelle are common-looking misspellings rather than the usual Italian name.