A question for the Italians (and those who feel that way): how accurate is this pasta map?

And who will take the bait and actually click on the LINK???

It's just a link to the picture, I didn't know how else to include it to this question...

I clicked. Nothing exploded on my computer.

I find the map close to what I experienced as far as where the specific types of pasta are offered as local specialties (at least from my travels to Italy). But that doesn't mean you can't get any of the others almost anywhere else in Italy if you really look for it, it just might not be as good as the specified region.

Thanks!

So basically it's possible to order all (or most) of those dishes anywhere in Italy? Truth is, I'm a huge pasta lover, so I'd hate to miss out on some amazing dishes just because I'm in the "wrong" region...

Italian cooking - like their football teams- is highly regional ("local" may be a more accurate term)...I would stick to what's available/best in that particular region partly due to fresh ingredients and history of perfecting that particular dish. Also, I don't think every kind of pasta will be on the menu..the chef decides what to make based on their choosing and availability of in-season ingredients (everything is made from scratch in decent restaurants). There are also non-pasta dishes (like caponata in Sicily) which are delicious. By the way, pasta is seen as a first course "primi" (and it's much smaller in size than you'd see in the US) not even the main entree.

There's no "wrong" region - you can find delicious food no matter where you are in Italy. Just set your expectations that things will be tailored to the particular region so you may not see all varieties on the menu.

It’s more or less accurate but...

1. It’s not at all complete. Each region has way more than 3 pasta dishes, as depicted in the map you linked. For example the Tuscan cookbook linked below, one of the best I own, has dozens of pasta recipes from the 10 provinces of Tuscany, some of which are available only in the specific province. The same would be true for other regions. Emilia Romagna alone will have tons of different pasta dishes.
   https://www.amazon.com/Tuscany-Beautiful-Cookbook-Lorenza-deMedici/dp/0002550326

2. Some of the regional dishes on your map (and also many regional dishes that are not listed) are popular nationally now, so you can find them outside the region of origin. For example lasagne, pasta alla bolognese, carbonara, amatriciana, spaghetti aglio e olio, spaghetti allo scoglio, etc. are pretty popular outside their region too. Others will be rare outside their region. For example you won’t find culurgionis too easily outside of Sardinia or pasta chi sardi outside of Sicily.

What about rice? Ok, It's not pasta... but what about gnocchi? Looking at that map it seems that gnocchi are not done anywhere.

A piedmontese would probably say that their "national" dish is Plin Ravioli, whereas agnolotti is just a generic name for stuffed pasta and each city has its own way to stuff it (ranging from donkey to Savoy cabbage). Thanks to history in Piedmont they can also enjoy Culirgionis, Fregula and malloreddus from Sardinia, but it's a special case.

I think saying "ragù alla bolognese" is a little old fashioned. More or less the recipe from Bologna has become a standard, it is a little redundant. The only meat based tomato sauce that's so peculiar to be defined by its origin is the neapolitan version. I doubt you can find the neapolitan ragù in restaurants as it takes at least 4 hours to be cooked (and one person that can waste 4 hours near the stove). The other neapolitan meat sauce, the genovese, is easier to find on menus, but many have never heard about it out of Campania.

ps
Rooting for a football team is city-based, not regional. In Siena they support Juventus "as a second choice" only to drive Roberto and his fellow citizens mad.

"So basically it's possible to order all (or most) of those dishes anywhere in Italy? Truth is, I'm a huge pasta lover, so I'd hate to miss out on some amazing dishes just because I'm in the "wrong" region..."

If a restaurant exists that offers all of these options ; it would not be one you would want to eat in.
Typically a restaurant will have a few options for pasta dish, freshness and often simplicity is valued so anyone offering all cannot possibly have each fresh and homemade.
A good menu will also vary seasonally based on what is currently in season locally.

You could definitely have a problem ordering some of these dishes outside of the region that is most known for it.
A handful of pasta options are available in many regions, others are very regional.