I've misplaced the receipt, so I can't give you the name of it, but this pizzeria is in Trastavere on Via Natale del Grande. From Viale di Trastavere, the main street, head north in the direction of the Vatican on Via Natale and you'll come to it on your right hand side, nearby all the vegetable and fruit stands. Very nice place!

Here's another vote for da Baffetto.

Another place I had really good pizza is Alle Fratte di Trastevere, on Via delle Fratte di Trastevere. Great service there, too.

We found a great pizza place in Rome during our last trip there in December. After spending all morning in St. Peters, we were hungry so we decided to just stop when we found somewhere that looked/smelled good (not hard to do it Rome). We walked towards Castel Sant'Angelo and then headed across the Ponte Sant Angelo bridge and walked about a block straight and came across a small pizza place on our left. The pizza was delicious. We ordered a half margharita/half mushroom. I have the name of the place on a business card but unfortunately its at home and I'm at work. If I remember to look for it, I will post the name.

Good pizza places can be found all over Rome. As a poster mentioned above, just make sure the pizzas are baked in wood-burning ovens.

There are two kinds of Roman pizza experiences: pizza from bakeries and pizza from pizzerias. At bakeries you can pick up slices throughout the day (that's where you pay according to the weight); they're simple, usually topped with olive oil (bianca) or tomato sauce (rossa). There's a kosher bakery (that doesn't have a name) near Piazza Navona on Via del Governo Vecchia that's excellent for this.

The classic experience, though, is at the pizzerias, which are usually open only for dinner. The last time I was in Rome I ate at La Montecarlo (near Piazza Navona, just of Corso Emmanuelle II, one of the city's main drags). Maybe it's the sauce, maybe it's the cheese, maybe it's the oven -- for whatever reason, the pizza we had there was in a different class than anything I've ever encountered in the U.S. And the atmosphere of the place felt just right: quick, no-nonsense service, and a room full of Romans enjoying themselves. (Monte Carlo is run by the neice of the owner of Baffetto; the lines aren't as long, and I can't imagine the pizza could get much better.)

One interesting thing I noticed a few of the locals doing: they ordered a arugula salads and heaped the greens on top of their pizzas.

As for places to avoid -- if you find chicken and/or pineapple among the toppings offered, you've probably wandered into a tourist trap. Italians can be very traditional. They figure out how to do something well, and then they don't mess with it.

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My fave is the "Pizza Funghi", (w/ mushrooms). I believe fresh high-quality ingredients is a major reason why pizza in Italy is so tasty. Also, I find their cheese to be lighter; and with the thin crust you can easily eat a whole pizza by yourself and not feel bloated as you would w/ an American style pizza.

My favorite pizza in the world is Pizza con fiori di zucca...or zucchini flower pizza. It often comes with Anchovies and must ask not to put them on if you don't like them. This is worth going out of your way to find. You can find this at any pizzeria in the Ghetto area or on Via Veneto near the Embassy there is an amazing bakery that sells it by the slice. Dar Poeta in Testaccio is great, especially their Nutella (chocolate/hazelnut) pizza. Another of my favorite pizzas is the Breasola pizza...like prosciutto but made with beef instead, often paired with arugula. On average, a sit down pizza place has better pizza than the by the slice places.

Just to put some context to the pizza-by-weight places:

You order a slice/chunk of pizza by the "etto", 100g. A one-etto slice is a rectangle about 3"-4" wide and about 6" long. Due etti (200g) or due e mezzo (250g) generally is a good filling meal for one person, especially when washed down with a beer, Coke, or bottle of water. 200g is just less than a half pound.

Although the Fodor's Editor may not be aware of it, the bakery on Via Governo Vecchio does have a name--Frtelli Paladini and it's at Via Governo Vecchio 29 which you'll need to know because there isn't a sign.

Pizza-Re!!!

Have not been to their Rome location, I saw that the first responder also recommended them. Went to their Naples location less than 2 weeks ago-- we ended up eating there 3 times -- and we tried other pizza in naples too and this was by far the BEST! They have 2 Rome locations, but the one near the Spanish steps is probably most convienent. I think the margarhita is the best, but we tried a few others that were good too.
Prices are very low (at least in Naples) They have lunch special for 6 euros for a pizza and a drink (soda, water, wine, etc...)

One thing about pizza in Italy different than pizza in the U.S. is that the pizzas often have names rather than being described by their toppings. Some that we liked:

funghi (mushrooms)

quattro stagione (literally "4 seasons" with the 4 ingredients separate in each quarter of the pizza, usually, mushrooms, ham, artichoke hearts and something else)

quattro formaggi (4 cheese, including the italian blue cheese)

napoli (anchovies, but don't knock it until you have tried it in Italy, it became our favorite)

Oh my mouth is watering!

I third the reco for Pizza Re! fabulous!

This feedback has been amazing. Thank you all so much. Wherever we are in Rome I think we will have a suggestion from someone as to where to eat good Pizza.

Thanks again!

Eric

I would have to vote for Pizza Re as well...we were pleasantly surprised to find them open on Christmas Day & the food was wonderful.

But, I would also say that part of the fun of our trip was wandering the streets & find good things to eat along the way. We had some great pizza from bakeries & also at enotecas. Your favorite may end up being a place that you find on your own. Explore & enjoy :)

This forum has been most helpful! I love all food but, pizza is definetely in the plan! Question: Are there any popular wood-oven pizzas for lunch - per the editor (the by weight is bakery style) - any open for lunch such Pizza Re or Baffetto or one just as good near the sights us tourists will be at?

just thought you'd all find this amusing:

my friends just got to Rome moments ago. they are at the hotel I reco'd (which was from Kismetchimera's reco to me) and he and I are IM-texting each other. I just IMd him to tell them they must go to Pizza Re for dinner after they get their bearings.

ain't technology great??