The Best Pizza Near Locanda Martinelli, by the Record
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Rank 1. Bottega Dani
Gourmet Pizza
A pizzeria in Cecina where the gourmet pies go through a double cook, steamed then baked, landing somewhere between pillowy and crisp in a way that takes a little explaining. The dough work is clearly the obsession here, and the raw materials are chosen with matching care. While you wait, there's an aperitivo in a garden overlooking a pool, which feels like a reasonable way to spend a Tuesday. The cellar and beer list both punch above what you'd expect.
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Rank 2. Bona
Tuscan Pizza
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The dough is the whole argument here: long-fermented, handled by a team that treats pizza-making as a craft rather than a throughput exercise. This is a pizza restaurant in Pontedera where the toppings, including nduja and caciocavallo nods to southern Italy, are chosen to pair rather than pile. The menu has a reference or two that enthusiasts will clock with a quiet nod. If you want something fast and familiar, this is the wrong room.
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Rank 4. Masaniello Pizza e Sfizi
Neapolitan Pizza
On the outskirts of Lucca, this Neapolitan pizzeria skips the charm offensive and just makes good pizza: soft, well-leavened dough, a generous crust, and toppings that lean bold rather than precious. The fried starters and Campanian snacks are the kind of thing you keep picking at while the next pizza arrives. Prices are reasonable enough that ordering an extra dish feels like common sense rather than commitment.
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A pizzeria on Piazza Napoleone, the grandest square in Lucca, with tables outside that catch the full theater of the evening. The style leans Neapolitan, the service moves fast, and focaccias sold street-side are a good reason to wander past even if you're not sitting down. Inside is a bit tight, which somehow only adds to the chaos-friendly charm. Reservations are a smart idea.
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A Neapolitan-style pizzeria tucked beside the church of San Frediano, where the dough is famously light and the toppings pull from Campanian suppliers alongside Tuscan growers just down the road. The room goes rustic with a modern edge, the service moves fast without feeling rushed, and the fried starters are worth ordering before anyone even looks at the pizza list. Listed among 50 Top Pizza Italy's Excellent Pizzerias.
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A pizzeria set inside an old city wall in Empoli, where someone thought to pair stone arches with sleek modern decor and somehow it works. The menu runs from well-executed Neapolitan classics to bolder, less predictable combinations, with the same attention given to the traditional appetizers. The staff know the menu well enough to walk you through it without making you feel like you need to.
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Rank 8. La Pergola
Pizza
A medieval hilltop village in the Sienese countryside is a bold location for a pizza joint, but the terrace view over rolling Tuscan hills makes a strong argument for the commute. La Pergola turns out light-dough pies that run from revisited classics to more adventurous combinations, all backed by good local wine. The family-run warmth of the room is part of the point, not just a bonus.
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Rank 9. Apogeo
Wood-fired Pizza
A garden pizzeria off the A12 autostrada, which sounds like a backhanded compliment until you're sitting under the greenery with a wood-fired pie in front of you. The crust is the point here, crisp and substantial enough to hold its own, and the menu splits neatly between classic and creative without chasing whatever's fashionable this season. Desserts come from a separate, clearly capable hand. It ranks on both 50 Top Pizza Italy and 50 Top Pizza World.
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Rank 10. Chicco
Wood-fired Pizza
A wood-fired pizza spot in Colle di Val d'Elsa where the dough gets long leavening times and the toppings lean into local PDO producers rather than the usual suspects. The team will walk the table through a tasting menu, which is a nice way to eat here, and there's a pairing of craft beers and oils that sounds odd until it doesn't. Comfortable room, attentive service, and the kind of place the town has quietly relied on for a while.
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Rank 11. Battil’oro
Pizza
The work counter and visible oven sit center-stage here, which tells you what the room is about before you've even sat down. Battil'oro is a pizzeria in Versilia's increasingly crowded coastal dining scene, turning out both classic and creative pies on light, airy dough, with a gluten-free option alongside. Wines by the glass, beers, and cocktails round things out. Weekends fill up fast, but the team keeps the floor moving without making you feel rushed.
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Rank 12. La Fenice
Wood-fired Pizza
A contemporary pizzeria in Pistoia that ranks in the 50 Top Pizza Italy and World lists, La Fenice takes the wood-fired pie seriously enough that the dough rests for a day and a half before it ever sees a flame. The menu wanders pleasantly beyond pizza into fusion appetizers and airy bites the chef calls his signature work. Staff know the beer and wine list cold and will steer you without making you feel tested.
- 50 Top Pizza #46 · 50 Top Pizza World
- 50 Top Pizza #18 · 50 Top Pizza Italy
- 50 Top Pizza 2026 · Best Customer Satisfaction · 50 Top Pizza Italy Special Awards
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The open kitchen and pizza oven face the room so you can watch every pie come together, which at a Neapolitan-style pizzeria near the Marina di Massa seafront feels like a fair promise of what's coming. The dough runs soft and light, the ingredients lean on DOP-certified products, and lactose-free options sit alongside seasonal specials. Cloth napkins and cutlery rests suggest the place takes itself seriously without charging you for the attitude.
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A neighborhood pizza shop on the edge of Prato where the decision between round and rectangular is not trivial. The shared rectangular format lets a table split three different toppings, which is the kind of pragmatic generosity that makes a small room feel bigger. The dough is well-hydrated and seriously considered, with a choice of flours that the staff will happily talk you through without making it a lecture.
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Rank 15. Giovanni Santarpia
Neapolitan Pizza
A Campanian transplant running one of Florence's more serious Neapolitan pizza shops, with a dough that goes through a long cold ferment before it sees any heat. The crust comes out soft and fragrant, the toppings lean on well-sourced producers, and the menu covers classics alongside house originals. A fried pizza filled with lampredotto is the kitchen's nod to its adopted city. It ranks on both 50 Top Pizza Italy and 50 Top Pizza World.
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A pizzeria in the Oltrarno's San Frediano neighborhood where the dough is made light enough that you won't be horizontal by nine. The crust comes in a "cartwheel" style if you want to commit, and the fried starters, especially the mozzarella in carrozza, pull their weight alongside the pies. The room is modern and unfussy, the service moves, and the prices stay honest. A solid neighborhood pizza shop doing the right things quietly.