The Best Pizza Near Authentico, by the Record
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Rank 1. Alto Bordo
Neapolitan Pizza
A high, cloud-soft crust is the signature move at this contemporary Neapolitan pizza spot a short walk from the main square in Civitanova Marche. The room is clean and bright with proper restaurant seating, none of that fold-up-chair energy. Classic pies sit alongside reworked versions, and the toppings lean on ingredients sourced from Southern Italy. Friendly, unhurried service rounds it out.
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A cocktail bar and Neapolitan pizzeria sharing the same room in the main piazza, which sounds like it shouldn't work but mostly does. The dough runs through a 48-hour rise, landing crispy at the edge and soft through the middle, with toppings that lean into regional Marche ingredients. Tasting menus are on offer for those who want the full tour. The room is modern and polished, and the staff seem to actually enjoy being there.
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Rank 3. Avalon
Marche Pizza
The crust edge here rises higher than you'd expect, which turns out to be the whole point. This is a pizza shop in Ancona where the chef has built his menu almost entirely around Marche ingredients: spreadable ciauscolo salami, cave-aged cheese, wild coastal greens, sausage made with Verdicchio. The cranci, crispy high-hydration slices cooked low and slow, are their own argument for the trip. Desserts are homemade and apparently not an afterthought.
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A pizzeria steps from the Adriatic shore, named directly after the chef, which sets a certain tone. Three ovens and three cooking methods, double-baked, pan, and contemporary Neapolitan, give the menu more range than the beachside setting might suggest. The house Finarella style is its own thing. The wine list runs deeper than you'd expect, including international sparkling bottles that regulars take seriously. Spacious enough for a whole group to pile in without planning.
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Rank 5. Ristorante Cappelli & Dino Cordari Pizzeria
Neapolitan Pizza
A hilltop village in the Marche hills is a slightly unexpected place to find a pizzeria with this much ambition, but here we are. The crust splits the difference between Neapolitan and Roman, slightly raised and satisfyingly crispy, and the toppings swing from classic to creative without losing the plot. The fried pizzas hold their crunch, and the whole room runs with the kind of warmth that makes the drive up feel like a reasonable idea.
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The bread arrives unbidden, crumbly and worth the detour on its own. This is a roomy pizzeria with a veranda in the Marche hills, where the dough is the whole argument: soft and feather-light in a way that makes the standard Roman-versus-Neapolitan debate feel beside the point. Ascolana olives and other classics fill out the menu for anyone who needs more than a reason to order another pie. The owner runs a tight room.
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A cocktail bar and pizzeria in Senigallia where the drinks program is treated as seriously as the dough, which comes in three styles plus a gluten-free option. The pizza chef works with heritage grains like Ottofile corn and monococcum spelt, and the fried starters get the same careful attention. It's the kind of place where the bartender and the pizza chef are genuinely in conversation, rather than operating in separate universes on the same menu.
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A contemporary pizzeria a short walk from the center of San Benedetto del Tronto, Crunch keeps the look pop and the menu restless, with classic pies alongside odder, reimagined ones and a double-cooking technique that actually changes what arrives at the table. Fried starters and desserts fill out the card. The service is the kind that notices you without hovering, which is rarer than it should be.
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Rank 9. LieVita Pizzeria
Neapolitan Pizza
The crust here rises so high it practically frames the toppings like a picture border, which is either the point or the whole point. This Neapolitan-style pizzeria in Monsampolo del Tronto lets the chef's baking background do the talking: dough made the night before, easy on the stomach, and topped with ingredients pulled from across Italy's regions. Start with the fried montanarine before the pizza arrives. Loredana runs the dining room with evident care.
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A pizza spot in a small Marche village where the menu splits into more styles than most places can manage: round, fried, the square "quadra" with its high-hydration dough that goes crispy then dissolves, and a crumbly biga-based version that changes with the toppings. The fried pizza with fig puree sets the tone for a kitchen that treats the combination as less strange than it sounds. Good wine list, and reservations are the smart move.
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Neapolitan-style pizza on the Adriatic coast, at a pizzeria that takes its crust seriously enough to have landed on the 50 Top Pizza Italy list. The dough is the point, with toppings that move between classic and gourmet without making a fuss about it. Fried starters and a cocktail menu designed to pair with pizza keep things interesting. The room has the kind of considered aesthetic that suggests someone cared, and the staff are the relaxed, helpful sort.