ONE DOESN’T HAVE TO BE IN ROME to do as the Romans do, in this case at least. There are four pasta recipes that define Roman cuisine: amatriciana, carbonara, gricia, and cacio e pepe. None of these dishes are smothered in a marinara or ragu but nonetheless are unmistakably Italian, and indelibly Roman.
In visual arts and music, there is the concept of variations on a theme. And these four Roman pastas are culinary variations on a theme. You can think of making these dishes separately to compare and contrast, or you can make them serially as they rise in complexity and drama. Cacio e pepe, literally cheese and
