Pizza in Italy

[Bnice]

I am traveling to the following in ports in Italy: Florence, Rome, Naples, and Venice. Can you tell me which port has the best pizza? And what restaurant would have the best pizza? Also, what are some good restaurants in Venice for dinner?

 

Thank you :D

[cruisemom42]

Naples is supposedly where pizza was invented, and it's very good there. Da Michele is frequently recommended; it's the only place I've tried in Naples and it was terrific. That said, any traditional brick-oven pizzeria in Naples is probably going to be good.

 

Just keep in mind that pizza in Italy is not the same as pizza in the US. The crust is usually thin, and (if cooked properly in a brick oven) is crispy around the edges. There is less cheese and sauce.

 

BTW, if you do a search, you will find a lot of information and recommendations for pizza in all of the ports you mention. Here is a link showing recent threads on pizza in Naples, Rome, Venice, etc.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/search.php?searchid=13727514

Edited July 5, 2009 by cruisemom42

[bardstowntraveller]

Pizza is great everywhere in Italy. My personal favorite has tomatoes, artichoke hearts and ham. Yum. I can't wait to get there!:p

[desertminky]

Hi, we had the best pizza in Sorrento. Went there after we landed in Naples and took a tour of Pompeii and the coast. We seldom ate off the ship(!) but couldn't resist a taste of pizza where it was invented.

[mountainmare]

Another vote for Da Michele--easy to find using Rick Steves directions. Pizza is great and the experience is priceless. This is the place that shows up on travel shows all the time--shared tables, green and white tiles really small place. You order a pizza for each person.

In Rome pizza is different, different toppings and you buy it by the gram--not the slice. Do window shopping and pick what you want.

In Civitavecchia we got almost as good as Naples pizza at Aqua...wood oven, very good.

[corvettelover]

Pizza is great everywhere in Italy. My personal favorite has tomatoes, artichoke hearts and ham. Yum. I can't wait to get there!:p

 

Agreed- we stopped at little places along the street in Florence and Palermo and had great pizza- but it is different.

 

After a week I liked it so much I thought the stuff we have here at home is overdone- too much of everything on it.

 

Can't wait to go back!!!

[cruza]

I am traveling to the following in ports in Italy: Florence, Rome, Naples, and Venice. Can you tell me which port has the best pizza? And what restaurant would have the best pizza? Also, what are some good restaurants in Venice for dinner?

 

Thank you :D

Of course, pizza napoletana!!! They have saying in Italy , to prepare good pizza, you need the guy from Naples. We've had relly good pizza Margherita in trattoria across the entrance to Pompei.

[AmoMondo]

I also had a fantastic pizza in Sorrento. I really don't think you need a restaurant recommendation - the food is great ina lot of places in Italy

[olechka]

I also had a fantastic pizza in Sorrento. I really don't think you need a restaurant recommendation - the food is great ina lot of places in Italy[/QUote]

 

Our favorite was in Sorrento, don't remember the name though, it was a sit down restaurant to the right of the street that had all the shops. we also had pizza 5 minutes away from the Vatican in Rome and it was just ok.

[euro cruiser]

You will find two very different kinds of pizza; the thin crust type that is served in a restaurant (about the size of a dinner plate), and the thicker, usually square shaped ones meant to be eaten on the run. The second type is sold by weight. It's all good.

[zeitgeist]

Note that in Italy, pizza is not a proper dinner (for dinner, Italians eat four-course menus). Pizza is rather an Italian kind of sandwich. The most typical way to eat pizza is to buy it at a street-stand and to eat it like finger-food.

 

In Rome, you find some good pizza stands on the main pedestrian streets in the center, e.g. on Via dei Condotti.

[nparmelee]

Venice does not have a lot of wood fired ovens, so the pizza there can be different than elsewhere. That was our one location that we didn't try any pizza I think. The best pizza we had was in Lucca. We enjoyed the pizza pretty much everywhere though and we went to Da Michele in Naples too. Occasionally you'll see a post from someone on the different travel boards that complains that the pizza in Italy was awful and nothing like what they get at home. Its true, the pizza is different, usually a very thin crust (unless you hit one of the by the pound places with a thick very bready crust) and less sauce and less cheese, we love it though. The toppings tend to be more local and more seasonal. Dining is one of the few things I don't plan for on our vacations, except making mental notes of where people have had really bad experiences. We tend to wander and look at menus as we go and look to see the plates that are brought out to other diners as we walk by to see if it looks appealing to us. For most cities we tend to avoid the restaurants in busy tourist areas and wander a few blocks away, it has served us well over the years.

[CintiPam]

The only place my spouse will eat pizza is in Italy; he claims that American pizza has too much tomato sauce and cheese.:)

[BurBunny]

The only place my spouse will eat pizza is in Italy; he claims that American pizza has too much tomato sauce and cheese.:)

 

DEFINITELY too much sauce! But sometimes (not always) too much cheese is a good thing ;)

 

But I agree, I prefer a true neopolitan style pizza.

[CruisingGoddess]

Another vote for Da Michele--easy to find using Rick Steves directions. Pizza is great and the experience is priceless. This is the place that shows up on travel shows all the time--shared tables, green and white tiles really small place. You order a pizza for each person.

 

Can someone provide directions to Da Michele from the port in Naples? Is it walkable or should we take a taxi?

 

Thanks in advance!

[mountainmare]

I copied directions from the Rick Steves book. We walked from the train station on our way back from Pompeii. I copied RS--then google earthed Naples to get a better idea of the streets ending up at the Galleria and castle which is right by the port.

 

I'll see if I can find my map. The Rick Steves walking tour was a big help.

 

WE LOVED NAPLES but NOTE--we like cities and tend to be bold walkers who tend to look like we know what we are doing...I did my homework and basically knew the street name and what the place looked like from TV shows. Naples is a very colorful real place not a tourist center, if you are not comfortable in cities maybe a taxi would be better.

[mountainmare]

Just for fun I googles it---Da Micele has a website--at least you can see a picture of what it looks like--look for the tall sign with the coke sign on top!!!

http://www.damichele.net

[General Max]

Hi, we had the best pizza in Sorrento. Went there after we landed in Naples and took a tour of Pompeii and the coast. We seldom ate off the ship(!) but couldn't resist a taste of pizza where it was invented.

 

I don't think pizza was invented in Italy

[euro cruiser]

You dragged up a nearly five year old thread to make that point?

[buggins0402]

You dragged up a nearly five year old thread to make that point?

 

He's batting 2 for 2, he also dragged up an old thread for "All Italy Cruise". It appears he doesn't like Italians.

[slidergirl]

When in Rome, hit up Pizzarium!!!!! Owned by Gabriele Bonci, acknowledged by many foodies/critics to be the best pizzaiolo/baker in Rome. Right outside of the Cipro Metro station on Via della Meloria. It's a hole-in-the-wall, even after it's remodel. A very small counter to stand and eat at (maybe 6 people total) or outside and stand or use the small bench outside (maybe 3 people). But, damn, the pizza!!! It's al taglio (by the piece), sold by weight. Some traditional combos, but many combos outside the usual pizza box. Bottled water, sodas, and craft beers for beverages. Pizzarium also has some other items - definitely get an order of suppli al telefono - little fried torpedoes of fried rice, filled with mozzarella cheese and sauce) are to die for!

Read about it and see some photos at

http://www.parlafood.com/pizzarium-reopens-today-in-rome/

 

I hit it up before my night visit to the Vatican Museums. It's a very easy walk - maybe 10 minutes. I had a slice of rocket and fresh mozz and fresh ricotta - yes a little tame, but I love that combo (and I'd rather not eat meat on my pizza), a little slice of rosso (just sauce) and some suppli. LOVED IT!!!

 

Hey, if Anthony Bourdain loved it, it's gotta be good ;) http://www.travelchannel.com/video/not-your-average-pizzeria

 

P.S. If you are looking for places to eat, Katie's website (and her Apple app) are excellent!!!

Edited January 25, 2014 by slidergirl

[General Max]

He's batting 2 for 2, he also dragged up an old thread for "All Italy Cruise". It appears he doesn't like Italians.

 

Yes I did. And the points I added still apply today. Stay away from European cruise lines and I don't think pizza was invented in Italy. Maybe someone could add an answer to that comment.

[slidergirl]

Yes I did. And the points I added still apply today. Stay away from European cruise lines and I don't think pizza was invented in Italy. Maybe someone could add an answer to that comment.

 

I'll bite ;)

 

Pizza, as we know it today, did originate in Italy. But, other cultures have had food items where a flat type of bread was accompanied with other foods on top of it for as long as they have been around. Middle Eastern/Northern Africa/India had things like pita and naan, where stuff is put on top of it. Mexico has tacos, Southwest US has "Navajo Tacos."

 

But, the "modern" pizza is definitely Italian…

[crazygirl!]

I second what others have said - pizza is very different in Italy compared to the U.S. Also, the pizza in Rome is different from the pizza in Naples. However, I have yet to have bad pizza in Italy. They use such fresh ingredients and the flavor of the tomatoes or sauce...Mmmm!

 

If you go to Da Michele in Naples, make sure to get there early or be prepared to wait a long time. We also enjoyed Antica Port'Alba in Naples.

[euro cruiser]

I don't think pizza was invented in Italy. Maybe someone could add an answer to that comment.

Darlin', you're the one who brought it up, but you think we should do your research for you? I think not. If you need to be right about this, do the work yourself and prove your point. Otherwise, let it go.