Being in Italy, pasta is, of course, a must; but unfortunately, I'm not able to eat much of it due to digestive problems. Still, I managed to sneak small tasters from my friends. As with any food, you don't know what you're missing until you've had the real thing. Maybe it's because the pasta was handmade. Maybe it's the flour, water, or production process. Maybe it's a local factor (After reading Heston Blumenthal's In Search of Perfection, you realize that one can only replicate a dish so far due to the effects of regional differences). Whatever it was, the pasta definitely tasted softer with a nice tender chewy texture. It was not the dead hard or soggy soft of dried store bought pasta.
Sauce, as many have mentioned, was just enough to coat the pasta yet provide satisfying flavour. The pasta was not swimming in it. Simply amazing how little sauce can provide such a flavourful punch, something the Italian cuisine is often described by: using minimal fresh and high-quality ingredients for maximum flavour. Although, I do have to add, I sometimes like extra tomato sauce!
While in Venice, we tried one of the signature dishes: pasta coated with squid ink. The ink itself is not very flavourful, but the colour is certainly amusing, especially when you're not the person eating it. 
I wonder if there is any other reason for using the squid ink...
