The Best Places to Eat and Stay in Italy

A pizzeria in Potenza where the dough choices are genuinely the draw: the whole-grain multigrain arrives toasted and fragrant, while the tomato-water version produces a golden, lightly crisp crust that somehow still feels clean on the palate. The kitchen takes fermentation and hydration seriously without making you sit through a lecture about it. Fried starters are the right way to open, the service keeps everything moving, and the wine and beer list pairs sensibly with the rest.

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 San Lorenzo pizza shop where the dough gets more attention than most people give their houseplants, fermented long enough that the menu leads with digestibility as a selling point. Three sizes run from a small aperitivo round up to a rolling-pin-pressed Spianata Romana, and the kitchen rotates a new pie each week. Craft beers and natural wines fill out the back half of the menu, and the room stays informal without getting sloppy.

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.

A pizzeria in the old center of Cefalù where the menu reads like a master class in dough formats: classic rounds, pan-baked padellino, double-cooked, fried, and the pala flatbread added more recently. The crust stays light and crisp regardless of which style you order, which is harder than it sounds. About forty seats, contemporary room, and a drinks list that covers wine, beer, and cocktails if you want to match your pizza to something with a little ambition.

The pizza here is almost aggressively thin, a crisp, barely-there wafer with toppings kept minimal enough that nothing buckles it. It's a Roman-adjacent pizzeria in the Colli Albani neighborhood, done up in high ceilings and industrial bones that feel more like a design object than a neighborhood joint. The fried snacks are worth ordering alongside, and the wine list runs longer than you'd expect for a pizza dinner.

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 Roman pizzeria that splits its loyalties cleanly: thin and crispy Roman style on one side, high-crusted Neapolitan on the other, and no apparent anxiety about the contradiction. The dough is well matured and light, and the kitchen clearly thinks about what goes on top of it. The room is tidy and relaxed, the kind of place that works equally well for a quick weeknight dinner or a longer table with friends.

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.

The visible oven anchors the room at this Sardinian pizza restaurant, its stone walls and warm wood making the whole thing feel less like a dining room and more like somewhere a craftsman actually works. The doughs go through long natural fermentation with carefully sourced flours, and the toppings lean hard into local Sardinian ingredients. It landed on the 50 Top Pizza Italy list, which tells you the technique here is no accident.

A pizza spot in Alcamo where the menu is framed as a journey through past, present, and future, which sounds like marketing until you taste it. Long-fermented doughs and triple-cooked rounds are the foundation; Sicilian-style focaccia hybrids fill out the rest. The team behind it clearly has a point of view, and a tasting menu exists for those who want to work through the whole argument in one sitting.

A pizza lab in the middle of Palermo's old city, Funnaco builds its menu around three distinct doughs, including a local perciasacchi low-gluten option alongside the classics. The "crunch" pizzas, baked twice and topped after the oven, arrive with a shatter to them that regular Neapolitan doesn't attempt. Staff walk you through each choice without turning it into a lecture, which is rarer than it sounds. Local beers and wines round out the list.

Outdoor tables overlooking the Ligurian sea, strings of lights multiplying across the water at night, and a wood-fired oven quietly tucked behind a partition as if it has nothing to prove. This is a pizzeria in San Terenzo doing soft, foldable, classically comforting pies without any of the theater that tends to follow a good wood-fired reputation around. The service keeps pace without fuss, which at a seaside spot on a warm evening is exactly the right instinct.

A wood-fired pizza spot in Alba where the oven runs from breakfast through last call, because leavened dough is the whole point here. You pick your crust, classic round or thin and crackery from the rolling pin, then load it with Piedmontese conviction: fassona beef vitello tonnato, Verduno sausage with gorgonzola. The wine list runs to champagne, which feels about right for a pizza place that takes itself exactly as seriously as it should.

A Neapolitan pizza spot in Canale where the dough itself is the point, made with blends that range from classic to spelt, chickpea, and sunflower flour, each one built for lightness and a long ferment you can actually feel afterward. The kitchen treats sourcing the way other places treat decoration, and the service keeps pace without fuss. A pleasant bill is a reliable part of the deal.

A self-described "trattoria 2.0" on the edge of Udine where the chef brings a fine-dining background to three styles of pizza, all built on organic grains and sourdough. The Alta leans Roman, the Cornicione revisits Neapolitan, and the Gourmet wanders into Friulian territory. Bread, pasta, and desserts come from the same kitchen logic: technique first. The room is spacious and stylish, with outdoor seating for when the weather cooperates.

A Neapolitan pizzeria in Posillipo where the kitchen treats a plain margherita with the same seriousness as the more elaborate pies, letting good ingredients do the talking. The menu leans on tradition, the service runs smoothly, and the meal tends to end with a classic omelette and croquettes rather than the other way around, which is either charming or chaotic depending on your disposition. Street parking on weekends is its own adventure.

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.

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.

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.

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.

A pizza restaurant in Lecce where the dough is made entirely with type 1 flour, kept thin and light enough that a second pie feels like a reasonable choice. The room has a vintage-meets-contemporary look that someone clearly sweated over, and the wine list runs past a hundred labels, which is ambitious for a pizzeria by anyone's measure. Seasonal toppings, a proper dessert menu, and staff who actually know the list. It ranked on 50 Top Pizza Italy.

A family-run pizzeria in Corigliano where the room is clean and minimal and the doughs are light, contemporary style. The menu reads like someone thought hard about it, with creative combinations that don't feel forced. The chef's wife handles desserts herself, which tells you something about how the whole operation runs. A relaxed place that takes its ingredients seriously without making you feel like you're attending a lecture.

A Neapolitan pizza spot in Gioia Tauro with a pool, which sets the mood before you've even ordered. The dough is contemporary in technique but classic in flavor, and local Calabrian ingredients show up in ways that feel earned rather than gimmicky. The drinks list, cocktails, gin, and wines, gets real attention. Young crowds fill the room on warm nights, and the energy stays loose without tipping into chaos.

The open oven anchors the dining room at this Milanese pizzeria, where vintage furnishings give the whole thing an unhurried, neighborhood-parlor feel. The Neapolitan-style pies run on a semi-wholemeal dough, light and properly puffy at the crust, and the toppings lean creative without getting theatrical. Wine gets a serious list; cocktails and draft beer show up in a supporting role. Regulars who know the menu by heart fill the room on weeknights.

The Queen Wheel arrives larger than a standard pie, cooked in three stages, and finished with your choice of raw Puglian extra virgin olive oil. This is a contemporary Bari pizzeria where the dough itself is the point, rotating through cereals, black rice, beer must, and citrus variations depending on what the team is working with. Round, white, red, and rectangular versions all share the menu, and the toppings balance the traditional with the quietly inventive.

A pizza spot in the quiet outskirts of Bergamo that somehow requires reservations on a Tuesday. The room is simple and loud in the good way, and the dough gets 48 hours of natural leavening before it sees any heat, which shows in the airy crumb and the charred, chewy crust. Toppings lean creative and seasonal, sourced through an organic supply chain the team takes seriously. Craft beers and Franciacorta round things out.

Fried pizza is the reason to linger at this Vomero trattoria, where the dough comes out golden, dry, and lighter than it has any right to be. The menu runs from classic Margherita and Marinara through Sunday-lunch staples like eggplant parmigiana and meatballs, and a cocktail bar handles the before and after. The kind of neighborhood spot where the staff runs a packed room without breaking a sweat.

A pizza restaurant in the small Basilicata hill town of Rionero in Vulture, Glamour turns out long-fermented pies with a light, fragrant crust and toppings built around local Lucanian ingredients. The kitchen takes the pairing work seriously, and the room is modern and tidy without trying too hard. It placed on 50 Top Pizza Italy, which in southern Italy is a meaningful flag to plant. Good wine and beer list, attentive service.

The dough splits the difference between Neapolitan softness and Tuscan crispiness, which is either a compromise or a good idea depending on your loyalties. Gli Allocchi is a pizza spot in the hill town of Marradi, with a rustic room and a menu that leans into the surrounding countryside, including a pie built around Marrone del Mugello chestnuts when the season allows. The fried starters and desserts get equal attention from the kitchen.

A pizzeria steps from Salerno's waterfront, with a terrace open year-round and an interior that somebody clearly spent real money on. The dough is soft and well-leavened, and the toppings lean on DOP and Slow Food-certified ingredients from across Campania, from the Vesuvian plains down to Cilento. The fried montanarina alongside the baked version is a nice touch, and the wine list is longer than you'd expect from a pizza place.

A no-frills pizza spot in Taranto where the dough menu splits into classics, multigrain, and a protein-rich line aimed at athletes, which is either very niche or very Puglia. The atmosphere is casual and the service moves fast, so nobody lingers over the menu descriptions, which are admittedly sparse. The pistachio croquette has been known to distract from everything else on offer.

A converted baglio facing the Egadi Islands, with a sea-view terrace that makes the setting feel a little unfair to everywhere else. Grano is a contemporary pizza spot where the dough gets a long fermentation and a light, unshowy crust, while the toppings lean into seasonal combinations that balance rather than pile on. The wine list runs deeper than you'd expect, and the homemade desserts are worth saving room for.

A large summer terrace opens the evening at this modern pizzeria tucked into the residential streets of Venaria Reale, the town anchored by the grand Savoy palace. The dough is stone-ground and long-fermented, and the menu runs across styles, from classic Neapolitan to Roman paddle pies to a crispy black rice version that sounds like a gimmick until it arrives. The fried starters are not an afterthought.

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.

A pizzeria and casual restaurant near the entrance of Agrigento, where the dough gets serious attention: rolled thin and even, built on long study rather than habit. The team makes some cheeses in-house and puts real work into the tomato sauce, so the fundamentals are doing the heavy lifting. It reads as a reliable stop for anyone moving through the Valley of the Temples corridor without time to gamble on somewhere untested.

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.

A pizzeria on a proper town square, Groove Tortona runs two styles side by side: a soft, Naples-leaning round and a thin, crackling C-Rock version, each on its own semi-wholemeal dough. The kitchen aims for roughly half its toppings to be vegetable-led, which sounds like a policy statement but plays out in combinations like a vegetable ragù with prosecco and vegan stracciatella. Local Derthona wines and a pair of house craft beers round things out.

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.

A Neapolitan pizza spot in a small Calabrian hill town where the dough is kept light and most of what goes on it comes from nearby. The room is modern without trying hard, the kind of place that works equally well for a family Tuesday or a Friday out with friends. Sandwiches and bar service round things out when pizza feels like a commitment. The staff, by all accounts, treat strangers like regulars from the first visit.

A Neapolitan-inspired pizzeria in the Salento countryside that splits its menu between classic pies and a more ambitious gourmet line, leaning on DOP products and local ingredients. The garden is the better place to sit, cozy and softly lit in a way the interior hasn't quite matched yet. It earned a spot on 50 Top Pizza Italy's Excellent Pizzerias list, which gives you a sense of the ambition on show.

A neighborhood pizzeria in the residential Trieste quarter, far enough from the tourist circuit that you'll hear mostly Italian at the tables around you. The dough is the story here, soft and slow-fermented in a way that means you won't feel weighed down afterward. The menu runs from straight-ahead classics to quieter original combinations that don't try too hard. Staff move fast without being brusque, which in Rome is its own achievement.

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.

A pizza place steps from Trento's Duomo where the dough is the obvious point of pride, slow-fermented until it's soft through the middle and just crisp enough at the edge that you notice the difference. The room is small and warm, and the team runs it like they mean it. Toppings lean simple, which lets the ingredients do the talking. The "suspended pizza" initiative, where customers pay for a slice someone else will claim, is a nice thing to know about.

A floor-to-ceiling window frames the Lucanian Apennines while you eat, which is either the second-best thing about this contemporary pizza spot or the first, depending on the day. The dough gets a long, careful ferment, landing somewhere between airy and substantial. Toppings lean into Apulian ingredients without turning the menu into a folklore exhibit. The beverage list holds its own, and the service is polished without being stiff.

A Neapolitan pizza spot tucked under the arcades of Piazza Vittoria, where the high-rimmed crust gets a long, slow rise before it ever sees a flame. The room is tidier than you'd expect from a place this warm, and the family running it treats regulars and first-timers with the same unhurried attention. Dogs are welcome, and the outdoor tables under the arcade are a fine reason to linger over a seasonal pie longer than you planned.

A courtyard garden tucked into the old center of Rimini gives this pizzeria its name and its best table. The menu leans hard into dough variety, with six different versions to choose from and a range that runs from 1980s-style flat pizzas to gourmet toppings, all landing on the affordable side. Regulars come back for the seasonal creations, which the team names after butterflies. A 50 Top Pizza Italy listing for the Excellent Pizzerias category.

A Neapolitan-style pizza spot right on the Chiavari seafront, with bright, colourful rooms that lean into the holiday-town energy rather than fighting it. The dough is light and carefully sourced, and the kitchen pairs San Marzano tomatoes and Campanian fior di latte with combinations that wander well beyond the classics. The wine list holds its own, and the craft beer selection is taken seriously. Young staff who seem to enjoy being there round out the picture.

A three-generation family of pizza makers on the Calabrian coast, the Sesto crew keep reinventing their menu each year with enough conviction to make tradition feel like a moving target. The pizzeria leans into local character, pairing Tropea onion and fresh anchovies with double tomato, while a white pizza nods to the retro glamour of ham and melon. Comfortable neighborhood spot, serious dough.

A Neapolitan-style pizza spot in a small town outside Lecce where the dough is quietly the whole point. The multigrain version in particular develops real aroma and a crust that knows when to stop. A tasting menu lets you work through different dough interpretations, which is a more interesting evening than it sounds. The room goes for alchemist theatrics, wood and iron and swing tables, charming in ambition if occasionally less so in practice.

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.

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.

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.

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.

A family-run pizzeria outside Bari that has been turning out Apulian pizza for decades, the rolled-pin style that sits somewhere between Roman and something the region has claimed entirely as its own. The Lococciolo family's latest chapter involves sourcing with genuine care, from Martina Franca capocollo to Andria stracciatella, and a quiet obsession with allergen-free ingredients that most places don't bother with.

An agri-pizzeria outside Cerveteri where the dining room is all heavy wood and the setting is countryside green in every direction. The pizza is Roman style, thin and crisp, and the menu leans into the classics, cacio e pepe, amatriciana, that territory. The house-made supplì come in rotating flavors and tend to disappear fast. It's the kind of place where the drive out feels like part of the point.

The stone interior is old but the menu reads decidedly modern, a mix of contemporary and gourmet pan pizzas built around semolina and burnt wheat doughs that go through a long, careful fermentation. This is a sit-down pizzeria near the Molfetta center with a terrace and proper table service, the kind of place where the wine and oil list gets as much attention as the beer. Toppings lean local and seasonal without making a fuss about it.

A pizzeria in Roseto degli Abruzzi where the menu runs across traditional, gourmet, shovel, and double-cooked styles, all built around a serious obsession with dough. The team leans hard into fine-dining ideas, so toppings arrive in pairings that feel more composed than improvised. Dessert gets the same treatment, which is either impressive or a lot, depending on your mood. The room is quiet enough to hear yourself think, which helps when the menu requires decisions.

A pizza spot on the road connecting Turin to Moncalieri, Impasto keeps the room simple and lets the dough do the talking. The move that sets it apart is a Margherita menu with seven distinct variations, so ordering what sounds like the plainest thing on any pizza list becomes an actual decision. Farinata and focaccia round out the options for anyone who came hungry and plans to leave otherwise.

Cagliari's marina neighbourhood has no shortage of squares to sit around doing nothing, and Impasto overlooks one of the livelier ones. It's a pizzeria where the oven is in full view, so you can watch the dough work happen before the Neapolitan-style pizza lands on your table, properly leavened and not overloaded. Housemade pasta fills out the menu for anyone who arrives outvoted. The service moves quickly without feeling rushed.

A pizza spot in Brescia where the menu is short by design, and every combination on it feels thought through rather than thrown together. The doughs are soft and fragrant, the toppings creative without tipping into chaos, and the beer and wine list holds its own. The room is contemporary but not cold. It ranked 56th on 50 Top Pizza Italy, which in a country that takes this sort of thing very seriously is a statement worth noting.

A visible wood oven anchors the room at this Roman pizzeria, where the pizza a ruota di carro, stretched to cart-wheel proportions, is reason enough to visit. The fried pizza delivers on its promise of intensity, and the artisanal croquettes and small omelettes upstage most of the starters you'd find nearby. Craft beers, a spacious terrace, and a younger crowd keep the energy loose. The bill lands where it should.

A fried pizza shop in Rione Sanità run entirely by women, which tells you something about the care and organization before you even sit down. The dark couches and clean interior land somewhere between neighborhood spot and something more considered. The dough comes out uniformly golden and dry, never greasy, stuffed with ricotta, provola, and cicoli in the classic version. A short but thoughtful wine list means you don't have to drink whatever's closest.

A Caserta family transplanted to the Aosta Valley, making Neapolitan pizza in the Alps, which is either an odd choice or an obvious one depending on how hungry you are. The dough is long-fermented, soft, and light, and the menu stretches beyond pizza into appetizers and full plates, with a small shop attached. Ranked on 50 Top Pizza Italy, it draws the kind of crowd that drives a while and doesn't mention it.

A cocktail bar greets you at the entrance before the pizza even enters the picture, which tells you something about KLU's ambitions. This contemporary Neapolitan pizza spot in Prati does thin bases with properly puffy, fragrant crusts, a short list of around twenty pies leaning on the classics with a few clever twists, and a wine list deep enough to order by the glass without embarrassment. The staff has that warm, lightly theatrical southern Italian energy.

The menu is divided into "acts," which tells you everything about the mood here: this is a pizza restaurant that takes itself seriously, in the best Torinese way. The dough goes through a long ferment and comes out light, with a proper crust and a thin, structured base. Small sandwiches called PanAria are worth ordering as a warm-up. Wine, craft beer, and cocktails round out a room that draws the pizza-curious crowd from across the city.

Roman-style pizza shop in Pomezia where the dough gets a 48-hour rise before being stretched to near-translucent thinness. The menu runs through red, white, and specialty pies, plus the Panozzo, a thicker stuffed format that splits the difference between pizza and sandwich. Fried snacks and a solid beer selection round things out. The crust is the point here, so eating it fresh off the pass rather than letting it sit is the move.

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.

A pizza restaurant in the pedestrian heart of Grado's old town, with tables spilling outside into the foot traffic. The menu leans contemporary Neapolitan, updated each year and pulling ingredients from both Campania and Friuli, so a Neapolitan pie might arrive topped with local scallops or black truffle. The list is long and genuinely creative, with each topping sourced and described on the menu, which the kind of place that does this either earns or doesn't.

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.

Exposed beams and stone set the tone in this compact Florentine pizzeria tucked into the historic center, where the sourcing is taken seriously from the flour to the oil to the coffee. The round and paddle pies lean into Tuscan-Italian combinations, and the wine and beer lists are short but chosen with care. Service is cheerful without being chaotic, which is harder to pull off than it sounds.

The fried pizza here comes folded into a cartwheel shape, which is either a gimmick or just how they've always done it, and in Naples the line between the two is thin. This is a classic pizzeria in the historic center, all tuff stone walls, painted altars, and Neapolitan kitsch done with enough conviction to feel like atmosphere rather than decor. Maria Cacialli runs it, daughter of the man who famously fed Bill Clinton a slice in 1994.

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.

A pizzeria sitting out in open countryside, which already tells you something about the regulars who make the drive. The menu breaks pizzas into revisited, award-winning, and chef's specials, and the fish options are taken more seriously than you'd expect. Wines and beers run deep, service is warm without being fussy, and 50 Top Pizza Italy has it among their Excellent Pizzerias.

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.

A hilltop pizzeria outside Paestum where the terrace takes in a sweep from the Cilento mountains to the sea, which is a fine thing to be looking at while waiting for your pizza. The dough leans rustic, the toppings lean local, and you can order by the meter if you're feeling ambitious or feeding a crowd. A relaxed, no-fuss room where a summer evening can disappear quite pleasantly.

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.

A pizza spot in central Genova where the menu starts before any topping discussion, because you first pick one of four doughs, each made with whole salt from Mothya. Seasonal ingredients get paired with enough care that the combinations feel considered rather than clever for its own sake. The room fills up fast, and the service keeps pace without losing its manners. Good local craft beers and a decent wine list round things out.

A Ligurian pizza spot in the center of Levanto where the dough is kept deliberately light, the kind that makes you forget you've eaten three slices. The toppings lean into local pantries, and the staff steers you through them without the usual fanfare. Craft beers and regional wines round out the short list. It's a small, tidy room, and the whole thing has the quiet confidence of a place that doesn't need to explain itself.

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.

Thin-crust pizza is the draw at this Quinto neighborhood spot, an old-school institution that regulars treat as a given rather than a destination. The staff will steer you toward something good if you let them, but the craft beer list is where the real conversation starts, and the owners are the kind of knowledgeable that makes you want to linger over a second round.

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.

The pizzeria is the savory offshoot of a long-running Torre del Greco pastry shop, which means dessert here has an unfair advantage. Two indoor rooms and a terrace in the center of town keep things spacious, and the pies lean classic, with fried and baked options and toppings piled without apology. Staff are friendly, the menu tracks the seasons, and if a sandwich sounds better than a pizza, they'll let you build one.

A pizzeria on the Adriatic coast of Abruzzo where the dough is light enough that a second pie seems reasonable. New Sporting has been a regional touchstone for a while, turning out careful, crisp pizzas alongside fried starters that locals seem equally serious about. The outdoor terrace fills up in summer, when the sea view does most of the decorating. The drinks and desserts get the same attention as the pizza, which is more than most slice spots can say.

A pizzeria in the Abruzzo hill town of Guardiagrele where the dough itself is the conversation, the kitchen rotating through different styles, hydrations, and fillings with something close to academic seriousness. The Zulli family runs it now, carrying forward a project built on local ingredients and a lot of careful thinking about what pizza can be. It ranks among 50 Top Pizza Italy's top listings, and the room matches the kitchen: warm, attentive, and happy to explain everything.

A pizza restaurant in the Trentino hills where the dough gets a long, slow ferment and comes out of the oven with that blistered, airy crust that people tend to argue about. Toppings lean on local sourcing, and the craft beer list tilts toward nearby microbreweries, which is the right call in this part of Italy. The room manages to feel both contemporary and mountain-lodge without sliding into kitsch. 50 Top Pizza lists it among Italy's excellent pizzerias.

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.

A pizza spot in Chieti where the dough comes two ways: pinsa style, thick and pillowy, or classic Roman, thin and snappy. Either way, the toppings lean hard into Abruzzo's larder, which gives the menu a distinctly local character that the Roman base doesn't usually have. The kitchen clearly enjoys the pairing more than you'd expect from the setup, and the result tends to quietly outlast whatever you planned to do afterward.

Thin-crust pizza with serious toppings shares the menu with craft cocktails and a proper wine list at this gourmet pizzeria and lounge bar in central Sarzana. The dough is the point: light, crispy, and carrying its toppings rather than drowning under them. The beverage program keeps pace with the kitchen rather than pretending to. A 50 Top Pizza Italy listing for those keeping score.

A panoramic terrace overlooking Gallipoli sets the scene at this contemporary Neapolitan pizzeria, where the dough leans dry and digestible, with a distinctly Apulian crunch folded into the tradition. The team is young and keeps things moving, and the appetizers are worth grazing through before the pizza arrives. Ingredients pull from both Puglia and Campania, which in this corner of southern Italy is less a marketing note than just good geography.

A pizza shop where the oven sits in plain sight and the family runs the floor without making a fuss about it. The contemporary-style pies have a pronounced crust, a thin base, and toppings that don't fight each other. The fried starters are the quiet surprise, coming out light and greaseless. A separate certified kitchen handles gluten-free orders, which regulars from across the province of Salerno apparently take seriously.

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.

The dough rests for 72 hours before it sees the oven, which is where the name comes from and where the logic of this contemporary pizzeria begins. The result is a square-cut pizza with a thin, almost imperceptible crust that stays light even after a second slice. Stone-ground flours and sourdough, toppings added at the table, ingredients that are mostly Apulian. The room is spare and unfussy, the drinks list longer than you'd expect.

A pizzeria set inside the former seafront home of Calabrian singer-songwriter Rino Gaetano, which is either the most charming detail you'll hear all week or a reason to book a table immediately. The style is contemporary Neapolitan, live-leavened and elastic with a gourmet lean, and some pies are developed alongside outside chefs. Outdoor tables face the water, and the staff manage the room without fuss.

A contemporary Neapolitan-style pizzeria in the Stampace neighborhood, where the dough is well hydrated and the crust has real structure. The mood is young and informal, the kind of place that loosens up fast. Creative toppings get the most thought here, with combinations that manage to be inventive without tipping into chaos. The drink list holds its own, and the desserts are stranger and better than you'd expect from a pizza place.

A pizzeria that's been around forever on Via Foria, Lombardi 1892 is the kind of place Neapolitans point tourists toward when they want the classic, no-frills version of the thing. The pizza is straightforward and faithful to the local style, the fried starters come out dry rather than greasy, and the small beer list is all you need. Central, easy, and priced accordingly. Good for when the goal is a solid pie, not a statement.

A neighborhood pizzeria steps from the Chiostro di Santa Chiara, where the simpler the order, the better the result. The menu leans into the soul of old Naples: the Rosone with sausage and friarielli is built for sharing, and the Provolella arrives with real character. The wine and beer list is chosen to sit alongside the pizza rather than compete with it. Warm staff, two floors, and a crowd that came for dinner, not a destination.

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.

The thin, crackery crust is the whole argument here: this small, informal Lecce pizza shop has built a following around a lighter-than-expected dough that the team tops with combinations running from straight-ahead Margherita variations to a coffee-inflected house creation. The room is compact and the staff actually pays attention, which is rarer than it should be. A tight but considered wine and beer list rounds things out.

A pizza spot run by three friends out of an old palazzo in Basilicata, with natural materials and warm light keeping things grounded without the usual designer fuss. The dough is the point: long-fermented, light, dry-edged, and never heavy. Ingredients lean hard on Vulture-area producers, some tied directly to the partners' own farms. The wine list follows the same regional logic. It landed on 50 Top Pizza Italy, which tracks.