Penne (Italian: [ˈpenːe]) are an extruded type of pasta with tubular pieces, with ends cut at an angle.

When this format was created, it was intended to imitate the then-ubiquitous steel nib of fountain and dip pens.

His invention cut the fresh pasta into a pen shape without crushing it, in a size varying between 3 cm (1 in) mezze penne (lit.

[4][5] Penne is traditionally cooked al dente and its shape makes it particularly adapted for sauces, such as pesto, marinara or arrabbiata.

The latter has been celebrated several times in Italian movies, notably in Marco Ferreri's La Grande Bouffe and Federico Fellini's Roma.