“Fettuccine Alfredo was created by Alfredo di Lelio in Rome in the early 1900s and became famous in the US after Hollywood stars Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks raved about it.”

Reference: Smithsonian Magazine

More food facts

A praying mantis will eat a black widow.

The story that Marco Polo brought pasta to Italy from China is a myth. Pasta was already being eaten in Italy before his travels.

Italy has more UNESCO World Heritage Sites than any other country, with more than 60 sites.