Naples is an interesting city in Italy. It is famous as the birthplace of Pizza, for its proximity to exquisite beaches like Amalfi Coast & historical sites like Pompeii, of course. Naples’s reputation is also notorious when it comes to crime & safety. We decided to explore Naples without keeping any biases in mind & the result was simply amazing.
As a vegetarian & a pizza lover, I was very excited to try out pizzas in Naples. As the birthplace of this delicious dish, I was expecting a lot from the city when it came to Pizzas & I was not disappointed even ONCE! That’s the power of pizzas in Naples.
Stop #1: The Famous Pizzeria of Naples
When we were researching about Naples, the first name on every list was L’Antica Pizzeria da Michele. This pizzeria got its fame not only from its tasty pizzas but also from the famous movie ‘Eat, Pray, Love’. Initially, we didn’t know if the pizzas will be up to the mark since it is technically a tourist attraction now.
After entering the pizzeria, we saw the simplicity of the interior. It was almost like an open kitchen. We could see what & how they were making pizzas! The staff was very friendly & their menu was quite short. That was the best thing because we did not have think of ‘what should we try?’
We tried Pizza Margherita (another choice was Pizza Marinara). It contained only 5 ingredients & the end result was simply outstanding! That was the BEST pizza I’d ever written till that moment. The medium size pizza cost us about EUR 4.5 but it was enough for 2 people! There are few drink options like Coca-Cola, Fanta, Beer etc. available as well.
Location: Via Cesare Sersale, 1, 80139 Napoli NA, Italy
Staff: 4/5 | Pizza: 4.5/5 | Value for Money: 5/5
Stop #2: The Different Pizzeria in Naples
We also found out something called Fried pizzas. Apparently, they are like a rage in Naples. So after crossing few narrow lanes & a busy evening market of Naples, we arrived at Pizzeria De’ Figliole. This pizzeria is famous for its fried pizzas & they, too, have a limited menu.
When we reached here, the pizzas were available only for takeaways so I decided to take one fried pizza filled with only Mozzarella cheese & some chilies. The kind lady made the entire pizza in front of us (it was the open kitchen, again). I simply LOVED the concept of the open kitchen in these pizzerias because seeing the preparation & the process of making pizzas is like a treat to eyes.
For EUR 5, I got a fried pizza filled with lots of cheese & chilies. After taking the first bite, the mind was blown! This different tribe of pizzas was something to die for. The pizza had a crunchy outer crust, soft inner crust & melted cheese inside it. A single person cannot finish 1 fried pizza on his own for sure. If you are in Naples, do visit this pizzeria to try out their fried pizzas. Thank me later!
Location: Via Giudecca Vecchia, 39, 80139 Napoli NA, Italy
Staff: 5/5 | Pizza: 5/5 | Value for Money: 5/5
Stop #3: The Oldest Pizzeria in The World
Photo by Nirali Naik [https://instagram.com/Nirali.n]
Finally, we had 1 wish in mind that we wanted to eat pizzas in the oldest pizzeria in the WORLD! We had known only 1 thing about the oldest pizzeria in the world – that it is in Naples. But it was difficult to find the name of that pizzeria. It was even more difficult to authenticate the claim of many pizzerias claiming to be the oldest ones.
After researching & asking few more locals, we finally came to the conclusion that the oldest pizzeria in the world is Antica Pizzeria Port’Alba. It is believed to be the world’s first pizzeria! I mean we were eating a pizza in a page of history (not literally). After we reached Antica Pizzeria Port’Alba, we faced 1 problem though. Nobody could understand English there & we wanted to shoot the video of them making the pizza.
https://youtu.be/IGL-fKCtLq4
The universal language of signs, cameras & love came to the rescue & they gave us permission to shoot the pizza making in their kitchen. The Pizzaiolo started preparing the famous Pizza Margherita in front of us inside the world’s oldest pizzeria. After 5 mins, the pizza was ready & that pizza, my friend, is still the best pizza I’ve ever eaten in my life. Nothing can beat the taste of that Pizza Margherita eaten at Antica Pizzeria Port’Alba.
Location: Via Port’Alba, 18, 80134 Napoli NA, Italy
Staff: 100/5 | Pizza 500/5 | Value for Money: 5/5
When you are in Naples, keep at least a day free & your stomach empty, just to try out these deliciously different pizzas in amazingly different types of pizzerias across the city. You will not regret it.
Photos: Awara Diaries
Check out our video on the pizzerias of Naples!
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