The Best Pizza Near Contrasto, by the Record
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A pizzeria tucked into a small hilltop village in Sannio, where the dough starts with ancient grains and the toppings read like a tour of the surrounding land, garden, and farmyard. The menu shifts with the seasons, cooked dishes sit alongside the pizza, and the natural wine list is a whole other conversation. The room is warm and unhurried, and the family running it clearly means every bit of it.
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A pizzeria that's been an institution in Benevento for generations, a short walk from the Arch of Trajan, named after a beloved 1950s Italian film star. The dough is Neapolitan-style, long-leavened and light, and the toppings lean into the local pantry, Sannio sausage, caciocavallo, regional olive oil. Service is warm and knows what it's doing, which in a town this size means everyone probably knows your order already.
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Sitting along the old Appian Way, this family-run pizzeria turns out contemporary Neapolitan pies on dough that's light and well hydrated. The menu ranges from straightforward classics to combinations leaning on Sannio cheeses and cured meats, and the fried starters, especially the pasta frittatas, are worth ordering before the pizza arrives. The room is minimal and modern, the kind of place that works for an easy weeknight dinner without any fuss.
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Rank 4. Bas
Pizza
Exposed stone walls inside what used to be a barn give this Molise pizza spot a warmth that no amount of interior design money quite replicates. The pies lean hard into the region's Sannio heritage, with a crust built from a mix of local grains that smells faintly of something you can't place but keep chasing. The staff runs the room like people who chose hospitality on purpose, which is rarer than it sounds.
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Rank 5. Pepe in Grani
Neapolitan Pizza
Franco Pepe's Neapolitan pizza spot sits in a small hilltop town that most tourists drive straight past, which suits the regulars fine. The dough is the point here: soft, well-leavened, and light enough that finishing a whole pizza feels less like an achievement than it should. Fried starters and seasonal toppings lean hard into Campania's pantry. The space is carefully designed, with an outdoor terrace split across two floors for tasting.
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Rank 6. Guakamaya da Carlo 2.0
Neapolitan Pizza
Tucked into the old alleys of Isernia, this pizza spot runs on a Neapolitan soul with Molisan roots, which is a combination the region doesn't let you forget. The dough is well-leavened and evenly baked, and the toppings lean hard into local ingredients, San Biase potatoes, Molise truffle, local pancetta. Outside tables in summer, a tidy interior in winter. Listed among 50 Top Pizza Italy's Excellent Pizzerias.
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Rank 7. Giuseppe Bove
Pizza
The homepage opens with four words: "Beauty, Origin, Vision, Evolution." It's a lot to put on a pizza, but this Campanian pizzeria, renamed for its chef after years under another name, earns the weight. The kitchen runs with a visible oven and a menu that moves from the great Neapolitan classics through fried starters and montanare to more personal, territory-driven pies. Ranked 16th on 50 Top Pizza Italy, it draws the kind of guests who come back.
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A pizzeria in the Campania hinterland where the chef works the counter with the focus of someone who takes local ingredients very seriously, landing somewhere between old-school pizza maker and thoughtful cook. The room keeps its cheerful pizzeria soul despite a recent tidy-up, and the service holds its own on a busy Friday. It ranked 56th on 50 Top Pizza World, which for a spot outside Naples says something on its own.
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Rank 9. Due Punto Otto
Pizza
A pizzeria named for a date that matters to the chef, which tells you something about how personally he takes all of this. The menu runs from straightforward classics to more inventive combinations, with housemade appetizers, including croquettes and small fried montanaras, worth ordering before the pies arrive. The selection stays tight, which in practice means everything on it has earned its place.
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A recently renovated pizzeria off a main road in the Benevento countryside, with an open oven visible from the dining room and a bright, cheerful interior that signals someone put thought into the space. The dough is soft and contemporary, and the toppings lean on local Sannio producers. The frittata is worth ordering alongside, and the margherita gets a quiet nod from regulars who know to ask for it.
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A hydroponic farm and a personal vegetable garden feed the kitchen at this Caserta pizzeria, where Ciccio Vitiello's biga-based doughs turn out light, well-calibrated pizzas that lean heavily on Campanian produce. The menu balances classic reinterpretations with genuinely odd detours, including a pizza theatrically served at the pass. It holds a spot on 50 Top Pizza Italy. The dining room mixes art and design with a Mediterranean garden out back.
- 50 Top Pizza #11 · 50 Top Pizza World
- 50 Top Pizza #8 · 50 Top Pizza Italy
- 50 Top Pizza 2026 · Forno Verde · 50 Top Pizza Italy Special Awards
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Rank 12. Pizzeria Giovanni Grimaldi
Neapolitan Pizza
A Neapolitan pizza joint that transplanted itself, fully formed, to the center of a small Irpinian town. The dough is the classic southern style: bold, direct, with a restrained crust that stays out of its own way. Campanian ingredients run throughout, with a few Slow Food presidium products in the mix. The room is warm and unpretentious, with bits of Naples on the walls for anyone who needs the reminder of where the allegiances lie.
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Rank 13. Il Monfortino
Neapolitan Pizza
A Neapolitan-style pizzeria in Caserta where the dough is light enough to make the purists nod and the Bronte, built on burnt wheat flour with mortadella and pistachio crumble, gives them something to actually talk about. The room is simple and well-kept, the staff attentive without hovering. The croquettes are a solid start. A short drinks list rounds things out without fuss.
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Rank 14. Sasà Martucci
Neapolitan Pizza
The soundproofed dining room is a deliberate choice: this is a pizza destination serious enough that you're meant to hear your table talk. Sasà Martucci runs a contemporary Neapolitan pizzeria in Caserta built around seasonal produce, short supply chains, and doughs that come classic, pan-fried, or triple-cooked. The Mangiafoglia, tied to a certified tree planting, is a signature worth ordering on principle. Ranked ninth in 50 Top Pizza Italy.
- 50 Top Pizza #30 · 50 Top Pizza World
- 50 Top Pizza #9 · 50 Top Pizza Italy
- 50 Top Pizza 2026 · Forno Verde · 50 Top Pizza Italy Special Awards
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Francesco Martucci's pizzeria in Caserta reads less like a pizza shop and more like a research lab that happens to have a wood oven. The dough is studied for acidity and thermal contrast, the toppings pull from Campania's pantry and beyond, and the result lands somewhere between a neighborhood staple and fine dining. Ranked second in all of Italy by 50 Top Pizza, it draws the kind of pilgrims who book before they book a hotel.
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Rank 16. Pizzeria Luca Brancaccio
Neapolitan Pizza
A pizzeria near the center of Caserta where the dough does the talking, built in the local style with a tall, airy crust that stays light and chewy all the way to the last bite. The menu runs wide, with different flour blends and alternative cooking methods, including a "Pa-Regina" that riffs on the classic Neapolitan roast. The fried starters are the dry, greaseless kind worth ordering without hesitation. Staff know the menu and seem to enjoy explaining it.
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A pizza restaurant in Caserta where the menu moves from fried starters, crispy and precisely formed, into contemporary artisanal pizzas rooted in Campania's larder. The chef brings a restrained, almost tailoring approach to the whole meal, desserts included, and the dining room follows suit: attentive without hovering. Ranked among Italy's top fifteen pizza spots by 50 Top Pizza, which in this country is saying something.
- 50 Top Pizza #39 · 50 Top Pizza World
- 50 Top Pizza 2025 · Best Dessert List · 50 Top Pizza World Special Awards
- 50 Top Pizza #15 · 50 Top Pizza Italy
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A pizzeria in Caserta where the meal opens with fried starters before the pizza arrives, light-doughed and topped with whatever the season is offering that week. The team runs a tight, well-organized room, and Maria handles the drinks list, stocking Campanian labels and craft beers with the same care her husband puts into the dough. It lands on the 50 Top Pizza Italy Excellent Pizzerias list, and on a given evening it's easy to see why.
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A mixologist turned pizzaiolo is a sentence that could go badly, but here it goes well. Elementi is a pizzeria in Caserta where the chef's background shows up in how flavors are layered, playing creaminess against crunch and acidity in ways that feel more considered than typical. Classic and creative pies share the menu alongside fried starters, and a dedicated tasting menu spotlights the local Terra di Lavoro region.
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Lombardi is a pizzeria in Maddaloni where the pastry kitchen and the pizza oven are clearly on speaking terms. The dough work here leans creative, pulling in puff pastry techniques and unexpected sweet-savory combinations that make the menu feel more composed than the average slice. The drinks list takes a similarly serious turn, with house juices and a mixology program that takes itself just seriously enough. A car is the only sensible way in.
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Giacomo Garau's third pizzeria is the one where he started, and the dough shows it: firm enough to hold generous toppings, light enough that you don't regret the second slice. The crust is the point here, a proper raised cornicione that actually does something. Modern, warm room, pleasant service, and the kind of pricing that makes you feel like you've gotten away with something.
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A pizzeria just outside Atripalda's centro storico, with a wood-fired oven in plain sight and a floor team that somehow keeps pace on packed nights without breaking a sweat. The dough is contemporary Neapolitan, airy and a little blistered at the edges, and the gourmet section leans into Irpinian producers in a way that feels local rather than labored. The fried starters, potatoes especially, are worth slowing down for before the pizza arrives.
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Rank 23. Il Testone #pizzastore
Neapolitan Pizza
Neapolitan-style pizza in Avellino, a short walk from the old center, where the pies tend to spill past the plate edge without quite tipping over, which is apparently a fine line worth walking. The menu runs long with variations between tradition and house specialties, and the team will work off-script with seasonal ingredients if you ask. A trattoria kitchen runs alongside the pizza, folding regional recipes into the mix.
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Abate takes your reservation seriously before you've even walked in, which sets the tone for everything that follows. It's a pizzeria in the Abruzzo hills, leaning into local tradition with regional antipasti before the main event. The dough comes in three forms, including a double-baked seed focaccia, and each one is notably light without feeling austere. The combinations stay honest rather than clever, which turns out to be the point.
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A contemporary pizza spot in Termoli where the dough holds its own even when the room is packed on a summer Friday. The menu leans into local ingredients without making every pie feel like a manifesto, and the pairings read as considered rather than clever. Service keeps its composure when fully booked, which in this coastal town is saying something. Listed in 50 Top Pizza Italy's Excellent Pizzerias.
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Rank 26. Pizzeria Totò e i Sapori
Neapolitan Pizza
A Neapolitan-tradition pizzeria in Acerra where the fried starters arrive perfectly crisp and greaseless, which sets the tone nicely. Round pies come in classic and cartwheel sizes, the dough old-school, the toppings built from fresh ingredients. The room is cozy and familiar, the kind of place where the warmth of the service feels less like policy and more like the town itself. Expect a wait at peak hours, and plan to stay for it.
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A pizzeria outside Naples where the menu crosses from classic Neapolitan rounds to pan-fried and double-cooked pies without the kitchen losing its thread. The dough is handled in its own way, high-rimmed and distinctive, and the vegan options are thought through rather than tacked on. The wine list and a surprisingly deep water menu suggest someone here takes the full meal seriously. It ranks on both 50 Top Pizza Italy and 50 Top Pizza World.
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Rank 28. Gaetano Paolella Pizzeria
Neapolitan Pizza
The visible ovens anchor a room of warm earth tones and clean lines inside Palazzo Resistenza, a setting that signals this Neapolitan pizza spot takes itself seriously without being stiff about it. The pizza leans contemporary Neapolitan, light and bread-scented with toppings that don't crowd each other, and the fried sides are worth ordering alongside. A proper wine list rounds things out.
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Parked near Piazza Duomo in Termoli's old town, this pizza spot builds its pies on soft, airy dough with a crust that gets some room to breathe. The toppings lean into the region, with organic and local ingredients combined in ways that are genuinely unexpected without being weird about it. The wine and spirits list gets real attention too, which isn't always a given at a pizzeria. Service is warm and unhurried.
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Seven distinct doughs is the number to know before you arrive at this modern Neapolitan pizza restaurant outside Naples in Casoria, reachable by car with parking right there. The De Maria brothers run the room, moving from fried starters through pan, paddle, and wood-fired rounds with an almost obsessive attention to flour and fermentation. Ranked in 50 Top Pizza Italy and 50 Top Pizza World, the wine and beer list gets the same care as everything else.
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Rank 31. Black Wood
Neapolitan Pizza
A contemporary Neapolitan-style pizzeria tucked into an unremarkable street on the outskirts of a small Adriatic town, which sets expectations low in a way the kitchen clearly enjoys defying. The doughs are soft and well-matured, the crusts generous without being theatrical, and the menu balances classics with the occasional creative detour that doesn't overcorrect. Service is young and quick, the room informal but tidy. Listed among 50 Top Pizza Italy's Excellent Pizzerias.
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Rank 32. I Fontana
Neapolitan Pizza
The dough here gets talked about in serious pizza circles, and I Fontana has earned spots on both the 50 Top Pizza Italy and World lists to back that up. It's a Neapolitan pizza spot in Somma Vesuviana where the crust is airy and blistered, toppings lean on produce from the Vesuvian gardens, and the fried starters, croquettes, arancini, the works, are the kind of thing you order while pretending to study the menu.
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A neighborhood pizzeria in the Nola hinterland where the dough follows the old Neapolitan playbook and the kitchen pays attention to where its ingredients come from. The fried starters come out dry and crisp, which is harder than it sounds. The room is tidy and calm, the kind of place where the welcome feels like it costs nothing extra. Casual and unpretentious, with prices to match the setting.
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Rank 34. Bottega Bruner
Wood-fired Pizza
A small, color-splashed wood-fired pizza shop in Cardito where the menu splits three ways: classics done straight, creative pies shaped by the chef's time in fine-dining kitchens, and padellini, the pan-baked house pride with soft, airy crusts and fresh toppings. Book ahead, the room is intimate. Fried Neapolitan standards, Campanian wines, and homemade desserts round things out. Leave room, as the staff will apparently remind you.
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A pizzeria in Palma Campania that takes its dough seriously enough to offer several versions of it, from traditional round pies to pizza in pala to double-cooked crusts with real structural ambition. The fried starters hold their own alongside the pizzas, and the ingredients read as chosen rather than just sourced. The room is clean and modern with outdoor seating, the staff pays attention, and the bill won't cause a scene.
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Rank 36. Pizzaingrammi
Pizza
The traditional oven sits at the center of the room, which tells you something about how this Neapolitan-area pizzeria sees itself. Two spacious, informal rooms mean a full house never feels chaotic, and a separate gluten-free section is handled with the same care as everything else. The dough is light and properly leavened, the fried starters hold their own against the main event, and the desserts are worth leaving room for.
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Rank 37. La Contrada
Pizza
A pizza restaurant in Aversa's main piazza where the classic dough does the talking: light, well-leavened, and staying crisp to the final crust. The room is dressed up more than most pizza spots, and the staff carries itself accordingly. Prices run higher than the neighborhood average, which the elegant setting makes feel reasonable. 50 Top Pizza Italy ranks it among its top forty in the country.
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A pizzeria on the edge of Lake Lesina, where the father goes out foraging wild herbs and the mother runs the kitchen, which tells you something about the spirit of the place before you've sat down. The margherita is properly leavened and light, but the grilled eel is the thing to order if you're paying attention. Focaccia with salicornia shows the lake is more than scenery here.
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The minimalist decor does a lot of the talking at this Casalnuovo pizzeria, where the room is dressed with more care than most places bother with. The pizza lands somewhere between classic and contemporary, grounded in traditional pantry staples and whatever's good that day. The fried starters, homemade and ranging from old-school to more inventive, are worth ordering before you even open the pizza menu.
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A pizzeria in Casal di Principe that dedicates an entire menu section to don Peppe Diana, a priest killed by the Camorra, is doing more than selling pizza. The place is part of a project reclaiming confiscated land, and the ingredients come from those same fields. The contemporary pies, including a smaller round version, use a well-hydrated, airy dough and land on the 50 Top Pizza Italy list. In a town short on gathering spots, it fills that gap too.
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A pizzeria in central Foggia where the doughs run light and the toppings are paired with the kind of deliberateness that earns the name "taste researchers." The room is compact and modern, the service quick, and they serve lunch, which in a city where pizza is mostly a night-out affair is a useful thing to know. Exactly the sort of neighbourhood spot that locals treat as a given and visitors quietly feel smug about finding.
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A Neapolitan-style pizzeria in Aversa where the menu is organized around the dough itself: canotto, direct, 48-hour, gluten-free. The kitchen keeps its browning even and its crust soft inside with a crunch at the rim, which is either obvious or surprisingly rare depending on how many bad pizzas you've eaten lately. Fried starters come out dry and crisp, and the beer list gets more attention than most. Ranked on 50 Top Pizza Italy.
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The fried starters at this Ottaviano pizzeria are what people talk about first, a dry, crisp crust giving way to something soft and properly seasoned inside. The contemporary pies follow the same logic: light, fragrant dough, local toppings that taste like what they are. The drinks list runs to artisanal Campanian wines and beers chosen to sit alongside the food rather than distract from it. Modern room, friendly service, no chaos.
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A trattoria in a quiet corner of Abruzzo where the wood-fired pizza sits alongside the full weight of Vastese cooking, and where finding Ventricina del Vastese as a topping is not a given anywhere else. The doughs are handled carefully, the menu runs from traditional to gently creative, and the wine list leans into natural pours. Young staff work the room with more composure than most seasoned ones manage.
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A pizzeria at the foot of Vesuvius that leans into the geography: the signature pie arrives as a fried dough base loaded with ragù, shaped to resemble the volcano looming just outside. Classic round pizzas are on offer too, with a soft, airy dough and a properly blistered crust. Ingredients skew local and Vesuvian throughout the menu, the staff are genuinely easy to be around, and the bill won't make you feel like you've been erupted on.
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Rank 46. Diametro 3.0
Modern Pizza
A Neapolitan-style pizza spot in Casoria where the menu actually tells you what you're getting: sections labeled scrunchy, tradition, and innovation, each a different take on the dough. The kitchen leans contemporary, playing with toppings and presentation while keeping the southern Italian backbone intact. Staff are attentive without hovering, the room is clean and modern, and desserts hold up better than most pizza places bother with.
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Rank 47. Don Crosta
Modern Pizza
A pizza named after Sunday broth, filled with the scent of slow-cooked meat and vegetables and finished with a Parmesan crust, tells you what kind of pizzeria Don Crosta is: the kind where the menu has something to say. The space is modern and relaxed, with a terrace when the weather cooperates. Beyond the contemporary pies, there are focaccias, fried dishes, and a wine list that leans into Vesuvian labels.
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Rank 48. Maturazioni
Contemporary Pizza
A pizza restaurant in the shadow of Vesuvius where the fried dishes, handed down from mother Rosa, set the tone before the pies even arrive. The contemporary Neapolitan pizza runs soft and airy, but the padellino, baked in a small pan, is the one worth lingering over. Local Vesuvian produce fills the toppings, and the wine list leans into the volcanic terroir. Modern room, fast hands, no pretension.
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Rank 49. PiGreco
Pizza
A pizzeria in the small town of Volla where the dough is soft, highly hydrated, and handled with obvious care. The menu moves between classic Neapolitan tradition and something more personal, leaning on Vesuvian produce, local cheeses and cold cuts, and single-cultivar oils finished at the table. The fried things come out dry and golden, which is harder than it sounds. A young, easy-moving team runs a modern room that never feels stiff.
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A Neapolitan pizza spot in Volla where the crust stays slim and the cornicione knows when to stop. The menu pulls in Campania with a Sicilian detour, so the fried arancina land alongside the pizza, not as an afterthought. The room is spacious and modern, and the family running it treats the place like it matters, which it turns out it does. Listed in 50 Top Pizza Italy's Excellent Pizzerias.
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The two wood-burning ovens sit in plain sight, which tells you most of what you need to know. GianPà is a contemporary Neapolitan pizza spot just outside Cassino's centro storico, where the dough follows tradition but the kitchen doesn't stop there. The beer list is carefully chosen, the ingredients clearly fussed over, and if you eat spicy, ask about the heat option, because it isn't 'nduja. Listed among 50 Top Pizza Italy's excellent pizzerias.
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A neighborhood pizzeria on Secondigliano's main drag, the kind of place locals walk to on a Tuesday and visitors make a small detour for. The room is roomy and well-lit, with tables spaced far enough apart that you can have an actual conversation. The dough runs soft and airy, and the menu stays classic with the occasional creative detour. Young staff keep things warm and unhurried, which suits a long family dinner just fine.