Pizza
 

We will be leaving for Italy this weekend. We will arrive in Naples (via train from Rome) and then have a driver drive us around Naples (for a little sightseeing) and to Positano where we will be staying. I've been looking forward to eating pizza in southern Italy. Any recommendations for wonderful pizza in Naples and/or Positano?

Have a look at this article
http://tinyurl.com/ferpx

It's entitled " In pursuit of the perfect pizza"

At http://tinyurl.com/kq95l
she tells you where and how to eat it.

Hi JC,

Pizza Bellini on Piazza Bellini, near the Archaeological Museum, has first-rate pizza, among other things.

Both La Strada and La Brace in Praiano make excellent pizza.

((I))

In Positano the joint down on the beach -- Chez Black -- serves a pretty good pizza at lunch.

MissPrism, thanks for the URL. Just before we left for Naples and Sorrento in Oct. 2001, the NYTs reported that Da Michele had supplanted Brandi as the best place for pizza in Naples. We went there as soon as we arrived, but we found the kind of line that the poster describes. We were tired, hungry, and impatient, and looked around for someplace else. The only other visible pizza parlor was Trianon nearby, and we had a fantastic pizza there. It has a huge wood oven on the first floor and long marble tables on the second. We also learned that it's easy to find bad pizza as well. I had a mediocre example from a by-the-slice stand in downtown Naples, and we shared a truly execrable pizza in a little sidewalk cafe next to the cathedral steps in Amalfi. It was mediocre orginally but had then been reheated in a microwave.

Pizza e Contorini in Naples (via Diaz) is fabulous. It's small and not flashy, but the service is friendly and you can watch the chef make your pizza and bake it in the woodburning clay oven. Fabulous food and inexpensive to boot - most of our dinners (my husband and I) came in under 16€.

There's a pizzeria on the terrace of the Hotel Montemare in Positano. It is part of the way up the hill on via Pasitea, and the views are wonderful.

Also, just to throw in another Naples option: Pizzeria Gino Sorbillo on via Tribunali:
http://www.accademiadellapizza.it/

Looking at the website is making me hungry...not good, as I'm in the middle of four hours of conference calls right now.

Da Michele in Naples is my favorite!

Jhonnies in Massa Lubrense is excellent if you get over that way.

Naples i believe is the birthplace of pizza - and where it's said that American GIs ate it there and brought it back to the States.
Anyone know if this is accurate?

Thanks all. I look forward to trying some of the places you recommend.

"Pizza has been made in the United States since the early 1900s, when Italian immigrants first came to America. Italian immigrant Gennaro (or, Giovanni, depending on the source) Lombardi opened the first pizzeria in 1905 in the portion of New York City called Little Italy.

"Although pizzerias had spread across the country by the 1930s, American soldiers returning from Naples, Italy, at the end of World War II (1939–45) made pizza a true national fad. The soldiers craved the food they had savored in Italy. Pizzerias sprang up across the country to feed their hunger. Pizzerias— often decorated with red-and-white checked tablecloths—offered casual dining. Pizza could be delivered to one's home starting in the 1960s or purchased frozen in the local supermarket.

"Americans relished the informality and convenience of pizza. "Pizza parties" were held during casual gatherings in homes and in college dorm rooms. People began eating pizza slices with their hands in public. Television (see entry under 1940s—TV and Radio in volume 3) events also inspired pizza parties; on Super Bowl (see entry under 1960s—Sports and Games in volume 4) Sunday, more pizza is eaten than on any other day of the year.

By the late 1990s, pizza had become one of America's favorite foods. Much of the cheese Americans ate came melted on pizzas. The amount of mozzarella cheese Americans ate increased seven times between 1970 and 1996. Seventeen percent of all restaurants were pizzerias. Three pizza restaurants ranked among the top eleven restaurant chains in the United States: Pizza Hut, ranked third; Domino's Pizza, ranked ninth; and Little Caesars Pizza, ranked eleventh.

"Americans' love for pizza produced unlikely types of pizza. By 2001, almost anything topped with tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese—bagels, crackers, or hamburgers—could be called "pizza." Pizza-flavored snack foods such as corn chips, crackers, and even cheese could be found lining grocery aisles."

"As American as Apple Pizza Pie." Smithsonian Magazine (June 1997).

We were in Naples for a week, 4 weeks ago, & were on a quest to find the best pizza. We really liked Da Michele (only Margherita & Marinara, although you can have Margherita with extra mozzarella) : we only had to wait about 15 minutes (you need to take a numbered ticket from the desk when you arrive), & it is very cheap at €5 for a pizza & a beer. Brandi was OK but IMO nothing special. The place we liked most of all, which was more like a 'proper' restaurant than Da Michele (although very reasonablty priced for pizza), was Lombardi a Santa Chiara on via Benedetta Croce (part of Spaccanapoli). The Margherita had the tastiest mozzarella & the Marina had cherry tomatoes instead of tomato sauce & lots of good chunks of garlic :-) We also ate at the Antica Pizzeria Port'Alba where we had vg Pizza DOC (Margherita with cherry tomatoes & the finest mozzarella) but the atmosphere & service weren't very good.

Joe18: "execrable"--great word!

Hi PalQ
>Naples i believe is the birthplace of pizza - and where it's said that American GIs ate it there and brought it back to the States.<

I'm afraid that you have been partially misinformed.

Naples is the birthplace of Pizza Margherita - red sauce, white Mozzarella and green basil.

Sort of like a baked Insalata Caprese. :)

((I))

Hello:
Just returned from a family vacatgion in from Naples and enjoyed all of the pizza eaten...very different (and much better) than American pizza. I don't think you have to go out of your way to find a great pizza...your bigger worry, by far, will be navigating your way across the busy intersections to get to the pizzeria:-)
Have fun!
Ciao

For anyone interested in the subject of pizza and its origins, the History Channel in the US is premiering American Eats on this subject tonight at 10 Eastern and Pacific time; 9pm Central time.

My favorite in Naples is the famous "Pizzeria Port'Alba" near the ancient Porta Alba in Piazza Dante. It's been around for over 100 years; and while it may not be as "touristy" as Da Michele, it is frequented by more locals and offers delicious food at reasonable prices (2 pizzas and a 1 litre bottle of mineral water = 15 euros).

FYI, margherita pizza was invented in Naples, named after Italian Queen Margherita, with the 3 colors of Italy: red, white, and green as represented by tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil.

yes, Huitres, I have eaten there too, and it was so good!! So many of the town children stood around the pizza oven watching the master pizza maker with awe. He was the star of the restaurant and he knew it, playing up the process. It was a fun evening.

Hi SeaUrchin! My friend Manuela who lives in Vomero (Napoli) takes me there each time I visit. It's her favorite place too. :)

Huitres & SeaUrchin, we have obviously had very different experiences of the Prt'Alba - I wonder why ? As I mentioned above, we went a few weeks ago & didn't like it. The pizza was nice but the ambience & service were rubbish. I'm sure we were nice & polite, spoke in Italian & everything ! Huitres, maybe you get better service because you go with a regular ?

The BEST Pizza in the WORLD is made in a neighborhood place in Naples, by the name of Tutino's. The pizza is out of this world, and the owner really loves Americans, due to his experiences in WWII. The ambiance in this place is terrific, especially if you like Toto, the famous Italian comedian.

In Positano, Lo Guarrancino near Formillo's Beach had the best Pizza Margherita I've ever had and I've had them all over the US and Italy.

It's one of those subtlety good pizzas. It's not immediate but on the walk home and the next day you start thinking to yourself, 'Boy...That was a #$#% good pizza'. They made a special heart shaped pizza for my wife on the last day we were there.

Bad part it is has ruined US pizza for me for good. Even my favorite local place (Amicis)tastes like Dominos in comparison. It's to the point we have seriously considered building or buying a brick oven of our own to try to replicate it ourselves.

In Positano/Montepertuso, check out Pizzeria da Costantino. It is up on the hill above Positano and the restaurant will send a van down to pick you up from your hotel. The views are to die for. The pizza is great and they also serve a few other items. Good prices for expensive Positano as well

Hey thanks for the new pizza recs. I will try them too the next time I am there.

Carolyn, I was there with a local too so maybe that did make a difference, that is a shame. I know the ambiance is a little manic, also this was a year or so ago. I am sorry it wasn't a good experience for you!

Da Michele is still my favorite but with these new ones mentioned I want to try all of them!

I have a lame question about pizza, but now is a good chance to ask it since my first trip to Italy is just a few monhs away.

I think I already know the answer, but..since I'll be travelling alone, am I limited to by-the-slice places? Or is it that at the regular pizzerias, they serve those "personal" size pizzas? I'm pretty sure that's the case, just wanted to double check with you all--I can't eat an entire large pie by myself! (well, yes I can, buy my waistline says NO!)

Hi caroline_edinburgh...strange, sorry about the lack of service at Antica Pizzeria Port'Alba. I have eaten there numerous times since 2003 (was originally referred there by a local). I speak fluent Italian and have never had any trouble with timeliness of service, ambiance, etc. They have even brought us out other dishes to "try" compliments of the house. I have gone there a couple times with my Neapolitan friends and the service has never varied from when I have gone there by myself (with my child too). I will probably eat there again when I am there end of August.

MissZiegfeld-as a rule of thumb, Italian pizzerias don't sell pizza by the slice. However, there are the occasional places that you can walk up to and get one like such. I have eaten at more casual places like that in Rome and in Lucca, but I am sure they are elsewhere throughout Italy. If you order a small pizza, you should be able to finish it as their crusts are impeccably thin and the pizza is not grossly thick like our American varieties. You can always ask to "porta via" (take away) with you if not finished.