The Best Italian Food in Italy

Grandmother Erminia's recipes still run the kitchen at this family trattoria tucked into the hills above Felino, in the Parma countryside. The Leoni family has been doing regional Emilian cooking the old-school way for generations, salame aged in their own cellar, rabbit alla cacciatora boned and slow-cooked into something that makes you understand why this corner of Italy has such a high opinion of itself.

Tortellini in Parmigiano cream and bollito misto are the kind of dishes that remind you why Emilian cooking has a reputation to defend. This is an old-school trattoria doing the regional classics without modernizing the soul out of them: fresh egg pastas, cotechino with stewed beans, and the celebrated zuppa inglese to finish. When the weather cooperates, tables spill into the intimate Piazza della Pomposa, and the meal gets considerably harder to leave.

A fireplace warms the main room of this old-school Tuscan trattoria in the stone village of San Quirico d'Orcia, with a pergola garden out back for warmer months. The cooking is rooted deep in the territory: hand-rolled pasta, truffle, meats and game, the kind of menu that doesn't need to explain itself. A wine list heavy on local labels keeps the whole thing honest.

A farm-to-table trattoria tucked inside Cascina Cuccagna, a working urban farm where the farmers' market smell drifts in from next door and a carpentry workshop hums nearby. The kitchen leans on seasonal and organic ingredients, cooking Italian classics on a charcoal grill, the kind of place where lunch outdoors feels genuinely removed from the city even though Milan's buildings frame every view.

A wine-bar tucked inside a hotel on the main square in Neumarkt, where the list leans hard into Italian producers and most things worth trying are available by the glass. The chef runs the room with the kind of unhurried attention that makes you feel like the only table, and the kitchen keeps it Mediterranean and seasonal without making a fuss about it. Good stop if you want serious wine with food that keeps pace.

A wine bar tucked into a 17th-century barn beside the cathedral bell tower, where the host doubles as cellarman and seems personally acquainted with every producer on the list. The food is deliberately simple, Lombardian home cooking with the occasional seafood detour, and the cured meats and pasta dishes do the heavy lifting. It's the kind of place where you came for one glass and left having learned something.

Despite the name, which translates to golden calf, fish runs the show at this old-school Udine restaurant that has been around forever. The room pulls off a neat trick, pairing sober contemporary design with the weight of a place that clearly predates everything around it. The Sabinot family has kept Friulian tradition going for generations, with seafood-forward plates and seasonal vegetables rounding out the menu.

A 15th-century inner courtyard, a summer terrace, and a menu that manages to feature both vitello tonnato and raw seafood without an identity crisis. ZELO is a modern Italian restaurant on one of Milan's quieter luxury streets, where the kitchen leans creative but keeps a few classics around for the table that just wants braised veal. Lunch skews lighter; dinner is when the raw fish comes out. The setting does a lot of the work, and the setting is very good.

The terrace at this hotel restaurant in central Sorrento has the kind of lemon-scented, candlelit romanticism that makes Campania feel like it was designed as a film set. Inside, the dining room goes full grand hotel, all opulence and pressed linens. The kitchen leans into regional flavors from Campania, then nudges them somewhere unexpected, and a vegetarian tasting menu means the table doesn't have to negotiate.

The Zivieri family raises animals and grows produce in the Apennines, then drives it all down to Bologna and cooks it for you inside a medieval tower off Piazza della Mercanzia. It's a regional trattoria where the charcuterie and grilled meats are essentially the point, made from animals the same family farms. A butcher's counter next door sells the same stuff to take home, which feels either convenient or dangerous depending on your willpower.

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.

A pizzeria sitting a thousand meters above sea level on the border of Campania and Basilicata, where the kitchen forages the surrounding hills, ages its own cheeses in on-site caves, and grows vegetables in a high-altitude garden. The wood-and-stone dining room feels rooted in its landscape, and the panoramic terrace makes the drive up feel obvious in retrospect. Ranked in the 50 Top Pizza Italy and World lists.

A Roman-style pizzeria transplanted to Milan, where the thin, wide rounds come in at 160 grams of dough, light enough that a second slice feels less like a dare. The room is small and loud in that companionable way. Supplì are the move to start, and the wine list runs longer than you'd expect. It lands on the 50 Top Pizza Italy list, which tracks.

A pizza spot in Pontecagnano that splits its attention between classic rounds and pan-fried double-baked slices with seasonal toppings, which is a more interesting menu architecture than most places bother with. The team roots everything in Campanian ingredients while still pushing into creative combinations. The wine list leans heavily regional, and the beer runs mostly artisanal. It landed at number 37 on 50 Top Pizza Italy, if you want a benchmark.

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.

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.

A Neapolitan pizza spot steps from Santa Maria Novella, run by a pizzaiolo from Ischia who's landed near the tourist crossroads and made it work. The dough is long-leavened, the toppings generous, and you can watch the whole operation from the dining room, which runs glamorous-dim in a way Florence's centro storico rarely does. Ranked in 50 Top Pizza Italy. Good for a sit-down or a box to eat on the train, which puts it in rare company.

The name is Hemingway-adjacent, but the real draw is a courtyard tucked behind a Florence street and a Neapolitan pizza dough that manages to be both light and serious about itself. This is a full-service restaurant that doubles as a seafood spot, with a wine and champagne list that suggests someone here has opinions. The tomato sauce gets mentioned with the kind of reverence usually reserved for relatives.

A Neapolitan pizza spot in Messina with a longer reach than most: in summer the whole operation shifts to Blanco Beach Club on the Strait, where you eat with water views instead of walls. High-hydration doughs and long leavening are the kitchen's religion, with a pronounced crust alongside Roman-style and fried options. A second location near the Duomo adds a proper sit-down dining angle for those who want more than a slice.

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.

A pizza restaurant on the island of Ischia, set inside a tuff-stone building where the terrace catches the sunset over the water. The menu moves well past the Neapolitan standard, offering several dough styles and the option of double cooking, with the kitchen showing a clear hand for balancing quality ingredients. The wine list pulls from a wide range of grapes and regions. Ranked in 50 Top Pizza Italy.

Roman-style pizza, done thin and crispy the way the city has always insisted it should be, anchors this relaxed pizza spot along the Tiber. The fried starters get as much attention as the pies, coming out fragrant and genuinely light, which is harder than it sounds. A solid list of sparkling wines makes the pairing case for itself. The room is informal and unhurried, the kind of place where the service moves fast enough that you never feel forgotten.

Colorful pizza triangles cover the walls of this bright, modern Roman pizzeria, which is built around the scrocchiarella, the thin, aggressively crisp style native to the city. The dough is featherlight and the crunch is the whole point. The menu wanders past the usual fritti into a broader spread of Italian small plates, and the pizzas run from classic to a little unexpected. It landed on the 50 Top Pizza Italy list, which tracks.

Roman-style pizza here means a rolling pin, not a toss, turning out thin, crisp rounds the way the neighborhood has always expected them. A Rota is a no-ceremony pizzeria in Tor Pignattara, sister spot to the trattoria next door, with a short menu of classic pies and a fried-foods list that reads like old Roman dialect. About fifteen pizzas, a seasonal special, and service that moves without making you feel rushed.

A weathered brass 20kg roaster dominates the back of this old-school Palermo coffee shop, which has been grinding away in a narrow alley of the historic quarter for as long as anyone can remember. The retail side stocks beans from Hawaii to Colombian rum co-ferments alongside moka pots and hazelnut spread, while next door the standing-room sister café handles cappuccinos, granita, and brioche. One counter serves everyone from espresso purists to the lighter-roast curious.

The Alpini Bridge fills the window and the Brenta runs below, which is a pretty solid backdrop for a pizza place. This Bassano del Grappa pizzeria works several dough styles, from puffy Neapolitan to a thinner Venetian version, piling them with Southern Italian imports alongside local Asiago and cod. Desserts come with a nod to the local grappa tradition, and the wine list punches above its weight. Ranked in 50 Top Pizza Italy.

Neapolitan pizza served inside the glass veranda of a grand seafront hotel, which sounds like a setup for disappointment but isn't. The dough gets a 48-hour rise, the crust comes out soft and properly billowy, and the toppings lean into the Ligurian coast around it. The room is elegant enough that you'll sit up a little straighter, and the service moves with the kind of quiet efficiency that makes a long lunch feel effortless.

A pizzeria on the Calabrian coast where the dough gets a 36-hour rise before it sees any heat, which gives the Neapolitan-style crust a lightness that tends to make people pause mid-slice. The menu splits into traditional, special, and margherita categories, but the local options are where things get interesting, pulling in 'nduja, peperone crusco, and octopus marinated in cedar from the surrounding territory.

A pizzeria on Soverato's main piazza where the dough does the heavy lifting: light, contemporary, and handled with care. Round pies share the menu with Roman-style slices and single-portion pizzas built around toppings chosen to match each format. The fried montanarine are worth ordering separately. Draft beers and cocktails round things out, and the staff are the kind who make you feel like they remembered you from last time.

A Neapolitan-style pizzeria tucked under an ancient portico in central Ferrara, where writing in Campanian dialect covers the walls and two ovens handle both traditional and gluten-free pies. The chef came up from Salerno and the dough shows it, long-leavened and properly puffy. Seating spills across two floors in a room that feels more southern Italy than northern. The "ruoto" pan pizzas, rooted in rural Campanian tradition, are worth the short walk from wherever you managed to park.

A 48-hour ferment and a wood-fired oven are the baseline here, and the crust comes out high and airy in a way that makes you notice. Agape sits on the waterfront at Cetraro Marina and has become a go-to for contemporary pizza along this stretch of Calabria. The menu leans into local ingredients with some care, and the fried dishes draw their own following alongside the pies.

A sourdough-forward pizzeria in the center of Gorizia that bridges Campanian tradition and Friulian pantry, so you might find speck from Sauris sitting next to fiordilatte on the same pie. The room is spacious with a veranda and garden, which helps on a warm evening. The menu includes a gluten-free option, and the kitchen takes its fillings seriously enough that the sourcing does most of the talking.

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.

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.

A Neapolitan-born pizzaiolo running a bright, renovated pizzeria on the Via Appia Nuova, with a summer veranda that fills up fast. The dough is the light, elastic kind that serious pizza people argue about, and alongside the classics, fried pizzas, and calzones, the kitchen slides in seasonal dishes and old Neapolitan recipes that have no business being this good this far from Naples.

A small, two-level pizzeria in Pompeii where the chef came home and put his own name above the door. The draw is dough as a moving target: he rotates through the ruoto style, classic Neapolitan, and reverse-scorched variations, treating each visit as a quiet demonstration of technique. Covers are few, service runs unhurried, and the beverage list is modest. Go for the crust, not the wine list.

A pizza spot in Crema where the music is curated as carefully as the dough, and events are part of the identity rather than an afterthought. The Tramonti line uses a rustic wholemeal base with a faint fennel note, and the fried starters, particularly the arancino, hold their own. Slices come traditional or contemporary, and the kitchen leans into cocktail pairings with some conviction. Relaxed but put-together, the kind of place that takes pizza seriously without taking itself too seriously.

A small, cozy pizzeria near Piazza Amedeo where the menu stays short and the dough stays traditional Neapolitan. The kitchen leans into classics and follows the seasons, with rutiello-style pizzas that taste like someone's grandmother made them, which in Naples is about the highest compliment the room can offer. Fried starters follow the same unhurried logic. Service is informal but not careless, and the prices won't require a conversation with your bank.

A Neapolitan-style pizzeria that's been around forever, sitting right on the Gaeta waterfront with a gulf view that does a lot of heavy lifting before the food even arrives. The dough is the traditional kind, high and well-leavened, and the menu runs from old classics to more inventive combinations alongside solid fish dishes. The bill lands somewhere around what you'd expect for a harbourfront table with a view like that.

The oregano is crushed by hand, which tells you something about how seriously this family-run pizzeria in Vigonza takes its craft. Franco Barbato has been making Neapolitan-style pies since he was a teenager, and the room still carries that pleasantly faded charm that no interior designer could fake. The marinara and buffalo mozzarella Verace are the heart of it, though the sausage and friarielli is the one to order if it's on.

Perched at the edge of Bosco Chiesanuova in the Lessini Mountains, Araldo is a pizzeria that treats local sourcing like a quiet obsession. Neapolitan rounds share the menu with Roman-style shovel pizzas made from ancient grains, named after a Cimbrian word from when medieval German settlers colonized these hills. Cheeses come from Monte Veronese dairies, cured meats from the village butcher. Good beer and wine list to match.

A Neapolitan-style pizzeria in the Esquilino neighborhood, Ardecore fills colorful, comfortable rooms with the kind of crowds who come for the fried starters as much as the pies. The dough follows a thin-base, soft-crust tradition, and the toppings lean hard on sourced Irpinian products, including soppressata, Carmasciano pecorino, and cave-aged Calitrano provolone. The menu runs red pizzas, white pizzas, and montanare, all landing light enough that a second round feels reasonable.

A colorful, spacious Neapolitan pizza spot in Casale Monferrato's historic center, where the dough gets a long, careful rise before hitting the oven. The pizzaiolo behind it grew up on Campanian tradition and takes toppings seriously, sourcing less obvious ingredients like Pomodoro Corbarino. Desserts come straight from the Campania playbook too. It's on the 50 Top Pizza Italy list of excellent pizzerias, which gives you a sense of how the locals feel about it.

A pizzeria carved into the rock of the Sassi, in a space that was once a communal bread oven, which gives the whole thing a pleasing sense of continuity. The dough is a seven-grain blend with sesame and sunflower seeds, dark and aromatic in a way that upstages most toppings. The ingredients lean local, the service is switched-on, and the room manages to feel both ancient and genuinely comfortable.

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.

A pizzeria steps from the Piramide metro stop, built around a dough that splits the difference between Roman and Neapolitan: thin and crispy through the middle, with a crust that actually has some height to it. The wooden-furnished room leans rustic and unhurried. The supplì and the house croutons with creative toppings are the kind of starters that make you forget a pizza is coming. Good beer list, friendly service.

A country inn and pizzeria in a small Friulian village, Baschera has been around forever and still feels like a family is actually running it, because one is. The dough is long-leavened, the flours are organic, and the thin, fragrant pizzas lean on local dairy and regional flavors rather than chasing trends. Wednesday nights bring a Neapolitan version with a taller, softer crust, which is either a nice change of pace or a minor scandal, depending on who you ask.

A Neapolitan pizzeria that landed in Trento and apparently never left, Bella 'mbriana turns out the high, pillowy, charred-edged crust that people from Naples will either nod at or argue about. The dough is airy, the toppings are fresh, and the menu runs from straightforward classics to combinations that require slightly more explaining. The room is warm, the staff is attentive, and a table on a Friday night requires a reservation made earlier than you'd think.

Neapolitan pizza a short walk from the Rialto, served in a room that opens onto a courtyard with a square beyond it, which is as good as Venice gets for lunch. The dough is long-leavened and pillowy, and the team leans into local produce, lagoon vegetables and Sant'Erasmo artichoke alongside the occasional mainland import. It draws a steady mix of Italians and visitors who found it without too much trouble from the train station.

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.

A high, pillowy Neapolitan crust is what the Palumbo family has been turning out from this central Udine pizzeria for years. The menu runs the classics you'd expect, marinara to capricciosa, alongside Roman-style pinse for anyone feeling contrary. After dinner, the amaro list stretches into Friulian grappa territory, which is either a bonus or a warning depending on your morning plans.

Tucked behind Amalfi's cathedral, away from the selfie-stick scrum on the main square, this pizza restaurant lines its walls with Vietri ceramics and keeps the mood warm and casual. The contemporary pizzas are light enough to not haunt you on the drive back along the coast road, and the menu leans into Campanian produce, cold cuts, and fried snacks. The wine list covers Campanian classics and pours by the glass.

A wood-burning oven visible from the dining room sets the tone at this pizza shop tucked down a side street near the Central Station. The room is compact and unpretentious, with simple furnishings that nod to an older Naples. The dough is soft and well-hydrated, the fried offerings short in number but careful in execution. Regulars who know what they want skip the photographic menu entirely, though it's a nice touch.

A pizzeria set inside a historic palazzo in Torre Annunziata, the whole room given over to Totò memorabilia as a tribute to the film that gave the place its name. The menu leans Neapolitan across several styles, with a light dough and generous toppings. The fried starters are worth ordering, especially the Chiò chiò, a small omelette shaped as a nod to the great comedian. Dinner in the garden, if weather allows, is the obvious move.

The oven is right there at the entrance, so you know exactly what you're walking into. This is a pizza spot in the center of Praia a Mare, where a 24-hour dough produces a soft, fragrant crust topped with Maratea sausage and Calabrian broccoli. The small fried pizzas in carbonara and Nerano styles are worth the detour on their own. Service moves fast, the outdoor space fills up, and a reservation is a reasonable idea.

The oven is visible from the dining room, which at a Neapolitan pizza spot is either a statement of confidence or an open invitation to stare. This is a family-run pizzeria carrying a name with deep roots in Neapolitan pizza culture, and the room stays warm without becoming performative about it. The classics hold up, and a wider menu of regionally inspired toppings gives regulars a reason to keep exploring.

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.

Cortile Siciliano is a pizzeria tucked down a small side street in Tremestieri Etneo, where the local style means a low, crackery crust rather than the pillowy domes you'd get elsewhere. Three doughs, classic, rustic, and charcoal, each pair with particular pies, though the kitchen will mix and match on request. The wine list reaches from Sicily to France and pours by the glass via Coravin, which is a little more serious than a pizzeria usually bothers to be.

The name is not accidental: the dough here snaps under your teeth in a way that makes ordering a second pizza feel like a reasonable decision. This is a pizzeria in Catanzaro with a menu that runs from respectful classics to bolder gourmet combinations, plus Roman-style thin-crust and a spread of fried starters. The sourcing is taken seriously, and the result is a lighter-than-expected pie. It appears in 50 Top Pizza Italy's Excellent Pizzerias listing.

A pizza restaurant on one of San Giovanni Rotondo's main streets, with a comfortable terrace and a polished interior that suggests the kitchen takes itself seriously. The fritti arrive first, crispy and well-seasoned, a warm-up act that earns its place. Pizzas run both thin-crust and Neapolitan-style, the dough airy and properly blistered at the edges. It ranked among 50 Top Pizza Italy's top hundred, which in Puglia is saying something.

A pizza dedicated to the Calabrian onion sounds like a narrow brief, but it tells you everything about how this pizzeria in central Tropea operates. Contemporary Neapolitan-style pies anchor the menu, with local appetizers and pitte rounding out a spread that leans hard into regional ingredients. The room has the feel of somewhere the owner genuinely cares about, which in Tropea is either a given or a small miracle, depending on your luck.

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.

A Neapolitan-style pizza spot on the edge of Taranto where the dough is soft and airy and the fried starters, stuffed with cheese and pepper or mortadella and pistachio, disappear fast. The team puts care into sourcing local ingredients, and the combinations on the pizza read thoughtful rather than fussy. Bring your own wine, though, because the drinks list is essentially a shrug. Listed among 50 Top Pizza Italy's Excellent Pizzerias.

A Neapolitan-style pizzeria in a small Puglian town, DaMa builds its reputation on a 72-hour dough that arrives thin in the center and pillowy at the crust. The room is split between a larger open space with a visible oven and a quieter, more modern side room. Toppings stay largely classic, which suits the dough fine. Beer selection is a work in progress, so wine might be the safer call.

A pizzeria on Gela's seafront where the lighting is soft enough to make you feel the room was designed, not just furnished. The chef's Campanian roots anchor the menu, but the "Pizzas by Daniele" range roams through the ingredients of southern Italy in ways that go beyond the classic round. The dough gets serious attention, the olive oil selection is curated, and the service knows what it's talking about.

A pizza spot on the Nomentana that offers both Neapolitan and Roman styles under one roof, which sounds like hedging but here reads as genuine range. The dough is made using autolysis, a slow hydration technique that produces a crust light enough to keep the peace between the two camps. Start with the frittata, and leave room for the pistachio tiramisu, which earns its place at the end of the meal.

A pizzeria near the A18 highway exit that takes the format seriously enough to offer both Sicilian and Neapolitan styles under one roof, low-and-crispy alongside high-and-pillowy, without making a fuss about it. The menu organizes around the margherita and builds outward in honest increments. Croquettes are the move to start. The wine list leans local but ranges wider, and the staff actually know what's on it.

A roomy, modern pizzeria just outside Umbertide's center, near the sports complex where parking is never a problem. The menu runs Neapolitan-style pies alongside appetizers, burgers, and a kids' menu, so it's built for a full table rather than a solo slice. The team moves quickly without making you feel rushed, which is harder than it sounds on a busy Friday.

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.

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.

A pizza spot tucked into a little square at the edge of the Amalfi Coast, decorated inside with the hand-painted ceramics Vietri sul Mare is famous for. The dough gets a long, slow rise, and the menu leans into the sea rather than the usual suspects, with pies built around local fish and a fair amount of imagination. The fried starters follow the same coastal logic and are worth ordering. In summer, the square fills in as a terrace.

Tucked between Barriera di Milano and Regio Parco, this Neapolitan pizza spot has been a reliable fixture in Turin for a while, and the dough is the reason. The team mills with monococcal spelt and multigrain flours that make the crust taste like something, not just a vehicle. Guests build their own pie from a long list of seasonal toppings, and sweet filled buns round out the menu for those who treat dessert as non-negotiable.

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.

A wood-fired oven faces the sea on Scalea's lungomare, and the dough here gets the long, careful leavening that makes Neapolitan-style pizza feel light rather than heavy. This is a straightforward pizzeria, the kind where the crust does the talking, with a fluffy cornicione, a well-balanced sauce, and a crisp underside. The fried pizza pulls its own weight too, in both the classic and the contemporary styles.

A small pizza spot in central Parma where the chef works with high-hydration, long-fermented dough in a style that doesn't answer to Naples. The crust sits at a moderate height, and toppings lean toward Campanian ingredients or pasta-sauce classics like carbonara, ragù, and amatriciana. Tables are close enough that you'll learn your neighbors' order. A newer "fried and deconstructed" menu has since joined the lineup.

Tucked into the backstreets of Chiavari, this pizzeria gives you a choice most places don't: a low, crispy crust or a high, pillowy one. Either way, the dough is worked for lightness rather than bulk, and the toppings lean on local Ligurian products rather than reach for novelty. The Margherita 44 is the one regulars keep ordering. Good craft beers and wines by the glass round out a room that's cozy without trying too hard.

A pizza and fry shop on Via Foria where the fried pizza is treated as seriously as the round kind. The menu leans hard into Neapolitan tradition, with fried doughs and classic toppings doing most of the talking. It sits near the Botanical Garden, a few stops from the city center, and draws the kind of crowd that knows exactly what they're ordering before they walk in. Prices stay well within reason.

Neapolitan pizza on the shores of Lake Maggiore sounds like a punchline, but the room fills on weeknights anyway. This is a proper pizza spot doing fried pies and Margherita variations alongside Campanian desserts that suggest someone's nonna has opinions. The dough is the point, the ingredients are taken seriously, and the setting, tucked into a small village between beaches, makes the whole thing feel like a slightly improbable discovery.

A Neapolitan-style pizzeria steps from Ponte Vecchio, which means the view over the Arno comes with the dough. The crust is light and the toppings run from the classics to a few creative detours worth exploring. Fried starters and croquettes round things out before the pizza arrives. Prices reflect the address, as they will anywhere this close to Florence's most photographed bridge, but the service moves fast enough that no one lingers guiltily.