True Italian classic needs only one name to be recognized immediately. Armani. Ferrari. Pavarotti.

So it is with Italian pasta sauces that have achieved classic status -- a single name will suffice. Alfredo. Pesto. Marinara.

Yet as familiar as they are, nailing down definitive recipes for these masterpieces proved to be no easy task. We found conflicting information even about marinara. Getting the story on classic Italian pasta sauces, it turns out, is about as easy as capturing moonlight in your hands.

Of one thing we can be certain: In an Italian kitchen, the process of cooking and saucing pasta is an act of improvisation based on what's fresh and readily available. A seacoast cook, for instance, may prepare a red or white clam sauce depending on whether ripe plum tomatoes, or pelati, are in season.

Whatever the sauce, it's most often cooked quickly while the noodles boil, then tossed with -- rather than dolloped on top of -- the hot cooked pasta to coat each piece or strand. Americans who are accustomed to bottled sauces will be pleased by the speed and ease of classic Italian pasta preparations, which may include a sauce as simple as sauted aromatic vegetables, fresh herbs, and perhaps some wine or broth.

These recipes were developed to capture the spirit of five classic pasta sauces -- follow them to the letter, or consider them an inspiration for your own improvisation.