It's true that cooking pasta al dente is the proper way to cook it, meaning it's not completely softened and has a slight bite to it. This typically means cooking it for one minute less than the package instructions say, but Italians claim that there's not one perfect way to do it.
According to Giovanni Rana, the Italian founder of the fresh-pasta company, "A big issue in the US is whether to cook pasta al dente or not. In Italy, there's not only one cooking style — al dente is not the Italian way. In the South, like Rome, they like the 'soul' inside . . . still a little crunchy and white inside. Northern Italy, including Verona, likes it a little more soft."
