The 15 Best Pizza Places In Italy (Slideshow)
Your guide on where to find the most delicious and regionally representative pizza in the country that invented it.
15. Pizzarium, Rome
Gabriele Bonci is one of Rome's most famed pizzaioli, and the Roman-style pizza he serves at Pizzarium is the reason why. The slow-leavened dough is made with a sour dough starter, and the result is a crust thicker than the Romans are used to. Bonci's rectangular cuts and a rotating range of unusual toppings like fennel, rabbit, and raisins, are other elements you won't find in other regions. Bonci once said that he makes a reported 1,500 different toppings annually at his pizzeria using locally-sourced ingredients. (Photo Modified: Flickr/Rob Larsen)
Via della Meloria 43, Rome
14. Pizzeria Frida, Palermo
Tourists in Palermo invariably make their way to Frida Pizzeria at some point in their trip. If it's on your must-try list, get there early and smile politely when you're told how long you'll be waiting. Named after Mexican surrealist painter Frida Kahlo, this pizzeria believes each pie should be a work of art. Guests can choose between four kinds of pizza—each with numerous options: Classiche, or thin and crispy pizza; bufaline, made with buffalo mozzarella; vulcanotti, which features a thicker crust; and the Frida's specialty, the Quattri (dale cornice ripiene), which is a square pizza with crust framing sauce, cheese and toppings sitting like a perfect painting.
Piazza Sant'Onofrio, 37, Palermo
13. SPIB, Milan
Milan is known more for fashion than food, but if you're making your way through la citta di moda and crave something crispy, saucy, and cheesy, locals will send you SPIB's way. SPIB offers a thin crust but very wide pizza. Reservations are a must here, and it's a bit off the beaten path. The pizza is a thin crust pizza and with more than 40 types of pizza available, SPIB is worth the trip.
Via Legnone 34, Milan
12. L'Osservatorio, Stromboli
Time Magazine named L'Osservatorio one of the top five reasons to visit Stromboli. The walk up the mule path is a hike (about 45 minutes at an average pace), but well worth it for a taste of the restaurant's pizza. Couple this famous pizza with the picture-perfect views of a nearby volcano courtesy of L'Osservatorio's terrace, and you will be one happy pizza lover. (Photo: Flickr/venana)
Via Salvatore de Losa, Lipari
11. Frá Diavolo, Diano Marina
Ask a local in this coastal town where to go for pizza and four out of five will say Frá Diavolo (the fifth will say their mother's house). It's popular with families for the group seating and reasonably priced menu, which includes gluten-free pizza.
Corso Giuseppe Garibaldi, 2, Diano Marina
10. Pizzeria Gino Sorbillo, Naples
It's all in the family at Gino Sorbillo, where they turn out over 700 pizzas a day to a hungry crowd of locals and tourists alike. The classic Margherita is a favorite, but so are pizzas with toppings like smoked and sun-dried tomatoes. There are 21 pizzaioli here, because there are 21 Sorbillo sons. Like Brooklyn's famed Di Fara's, the long line and hour-long wait for pizza is part of the experience. The pizza here is large and light. You might see a few other Sorbillo-named restaurants on the block, but this is where it all started for the famous pizza family. (Photo: Flickr/Thomas Duesing)
Via dei Tribunali, 32, Naples
9. L’Antica Pizzeria Port'Alba, Naples
If it's a sit-down beer and pizza meal you are after, then L'Antica Pizzeria Port'Alba is your place. Established in 1738, it's one of Naples' oldest pizza taverns and is said to be the world's first pizzeria. Tourists on their own personal pizza pilgrimage must stop here, not just for the history of the place itself, but because the pizza is cooked in a lava-lined wood-fired oven.
Via Port'Alba, 18, Naples
8. Pizzeria Da Remo, Rome
When in Rome, do as the Romans do and indulge in Roman-style pizza. The pizza here is flat and crispy, usually the result of high heat in a wood-burning oven. Roman pizza was created with the idea that less is more, so don't expect a loaded pie. At Da Remo, the tradition is upheld with a crunchy yet pliable crust on a pizza so light you'll want seconds.
Piazza di Santa Maria Liberatrice 44, Rome
7. Il Pizzaiolo del Presidente, Naples
In Italy, Bill Clinton is famous for two things: being the President, of course, and eating pizza. That's right. Originally called Pizzeria Cacialli, Il Pizzaiolo del Presidente (renamed after Clinton's visit) is where Clinton famously ate his five-euro pizza standing up in front of the ovens. Here, the pizza isn't served whole, like most Italian spots, or even in slices. Instead, the pizza at Presidente is folded in half once, then folded again for a quad-fold package that fits right into your hand.
Via dei Tribunali, 120-121, Naples
6. Di Matteo, Naples
Via dei Tribunali is to pizza what New York City's 6th street is to Indian food, and Pizzeria Di Matteo is one of the busiest on the block. Right in the heart of Centro Storico, there is really no excuse not to pop your head in their take out window and drop a few euros for some of the country's best pizza. Di Matteo sets the standard for value for your money — you can spend just five euros per person and walk away with a meal that includes a large pie and frittatini — bites of deep-fried pasta smothered in meat sauce. (Photo: Flickr/Prof Mortel)
Via dei Tribunali, 94, 80138, Naples
5. Pizzeria Starita, Naples
Antonio Starita's Pizzeria Starita has topped many "best pizza" lists. Though the traditional-style pizza here is some of the best in Naples, it's the Montanara pizza that has really put Starita on the map. The dough is deep-fried before being topped with smoked mozzarella and homemade sauce. Then, it's finished in the oven for a creamy and crispy effect that's unlike pizza anywhere else.
Pizzeria Starita Via Materdei, 27, Naples
4. Pizzeria Trianon da Ciro, Naples
Pizzeria Trianon da Ciro is only on a handful of "best pizza" lists. Not because it isn't amazing, but because only those in the know have actually been to this under-the-radar spot. Bursting with locals, Trianon is a three-floor pizza mecca manned by a bouncer who gives you a once-over before actually letting you in. The special here is the Italian sausage pie topped with friarielli — a broccoli rabe / broccolini hybrid that only grows in the Neapolitan countryside. Freshly made buffalo mozzarella melts like silk over a perfectly cooked crust with dots of salsiccia and greens. Purists will love their version of the Margherita, too. (Photo Modified: Flickr/mararie)
on Via P. Colletta, 46 Tel: +39.081.5539426
3. Pizzeria Brandi, Naples
Pizzeria Brandi is reportedly the place that first made a pizza Margherita back in 1889, coining the term to honor a queen of the same name. (Pizza with the ingredients of a Margherita wasn't new, but calling it a Margherita was.)The pizzeria dates back to 1780, when it operated under the name of Pizzeria di Pietro. The pizza here might not have been anything new to Italians, but still, Raffaele Esposito is credited with the Margherita's creation and crowds flock here hungry for a slice.
on Salita S.Anna di Palazzo, 1- 2 (angolo via Chiaia)
2. La Notizia, Naples
Only those looking for true pizza nirvana will visit La Notizia, which is a bit farther outside of town than most tourists will venture (keep your wallets duct-taped to your pants). Here Enzo Coccia experiments with artisan pizzas that are the result of his childlike and playful experimentation with yeast and fermentation. Just a minute and a half is all it takes to create a masterpiece of pizza unlike any on the peninsula. Take advantage of his experimental nature and start with something simple before moving onto the pizza bianca smeared with lard, pecorino and basil, his nod to the days before tomato.
Via Caravaggio 53/55, Naples
1. L'Antica Pizzeria da Michele, Naples
Pizzeria da Michele didn't need Julia Roberts to tell the world that they should be eating here. The center of the pizza-eating scene in the best-selling book Eat, Pray, Love, da Michele is the place locals go for a no-frills meal of pizza and beer. The crowd outside rivals the one waiting for a blessing at the Vatican, so prepare to be patient and wait your turn. The pizza is as traditional as it gets here, a true homage to Naples and its pizza history. (Photo Modified: Flickr/richard, enjoy my life!)
Via Cesare Sersale 1, Naples