On Giada’s last visit to Naples, she wanted to immerse herself in one of the city’s most famous dishes: pizza.
While the basic formula of a topped flatbread is ancient history that can be traced back to the Roman Empire, pizza as we know it—with tomato sauce and cheese baked in a wood-fired oven—was invented here in the 18th century. It should be no surprise that the birthplace of pizza is home today to dozens of incredible pizzerias, all making absolutely delicious pizza Napoletana. With only one day in Naples, Giada and her group of family and friends had to maximize their time there. Enter: the pizza crawl.
In one afternoon, the group went on a tasting spree, sampling the signature pies at four different celebrated local restaurants. It’s possible to walk between most of the spots, which can be helpful when you’re trying to digest all that pizza! But Ubers and taxis are also easily available in the city, which is how Giada got around on a rainy spring day. Here’s where they went—and what they loved:
Da Concettina ai Tre Santi
The crawl started off with a bang at this classic Neapolitan pizzeria now run by fourth-generation pizzaiolo Ciro Oliva. Chef Oliva and his team are turning out tons of inventive dishes using their signature long-raised sourdough pizza crust, including Sott’ e Ngopp’, a variation on pizza fritta with a plain disc of perfectly fried dough sitting atop a pool of tomato sauce, olive oil, and 48-month-aged parmigiano-reggiano. Also on the table were a pizza topped with Normandy butter and salty anchovies and Giada’s favorite, the Costiera, a “palate cleanser” pizza with lemon zest, mozzarella, and cracked pepper meant to provide a little lightness after all that dough.
Address: Via Arena alla Sanità 7 Bis
Phone: +39 081 290037
https://www.pizzeriaoliva.it/en/
Pizzeria da Attilio
Next, they visited Attilio Bachetti, a third-generation pizzaiolo who has been making pies since he was 6 years old. At his family’s pizzeria, which has been in operation since 1938, the specialty are their star-shaped, ricotta-stuffed-crust pies topped with high-quality ingredients sourced from around the country. The unusual pizza originated, says chef Bachetti, as a treat for local children around the time of the city’s annual carnival that precedes Lent. Giada tried the Pizza Carnevale, a version of the stuffed-crust pizza that uses all the flavors of the traditional lasagna served at carnival time, and the Sole nel Piatto, with tomatoes and porcini mushrooms.
Address: Via Pignasecca 17
Phone: +39 081552047
https://www.pizzeriadaattilio.com/
Pizzeria Salvo
Here, Giada got to peek into the kitchen while Salvo’s cooks made their signature pizza fritta. A Neapolitan favorite that dates back to World War II, when a wartime shortage of wood-burning ovens forced pizzaiolos to get creative, pizza fritta takes the same long-raised, flavorful pizza dough, seals it around the toppings of your choice, and deep-fries it for a golden, crunchy treat. Unlike traditional pizza, there’s absolutely no tomato sauce! After watching it get made, Giada was eager to dig in to a Ripieno Fritto, a pizza fritta stuffed with ricotta, shredded provola cheese, and cicoli napoletani, a kind of pork crackling that’s a local specialty.
Address: Riviera di Chiaia 271
Phone: +39 081 3599926
Gino e Toto Sorbillo
Located on the street locally known as “Via della Pizza” in the ancient center of the city, this beloved institution was the perfect place to end the pizza tour. You’ll almost always find a line outside the blue-and-white-striped awning for Sorbillo, which has been here since 1935. Though the whole group was stuffed by this point, they had to try the classic Neapolitan pie topped with salame Napoli, a local salami that is the model for the pepperoni we know and love in the U.S. Spiked with peperoncini, it had just enough heat to enliven some tired palates at the end of a very fun—and filling!—day.
Address: Via dei Tribunali 32
Phone: +39 081 446643
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