We reach him in one of the few, very few, breaks he takes from work. «I go into the pizzeria at 9 in the morning and leave at 1 in the morning. I haven’t taken a day in months and I’m happy like this”, He says. And so it has always been: 33 years of which 19 were spent kneading, Ciro Di Maio started making pizzas at a very young age, at 14, because even then he needed another path. An alternative after a complex childhood in the popular buildings of the suburbs of Naples with a father with a stormy past. A father who then in turn found a new path and gave him an example, showing him that a better life also comes from helping those in need. Ciro now does the same in his own way with prisoners, with the kids who live in the disadvantaged neighborhoods where he grew up, with those who knock on his door. He teaches an art that is for many still the path to redemption, training new generations of pizza chefs to whom he explains that pizza can also be a way to tell about oneself and one’s origins. Like he did with the Hand of Godin conclusion. We talked about it in this interview:
The interview with pizza chef Ciro Di Maio
As well as on Instagram, did you like Mano de Dios pizza in real life?
«It’s going very well, customers like it, partly because it’s scenic and partly because it’s good. Many Neapolitans who live in Brescia ask for it, but also many people from Brescia.”
Is the football quote immediate for everyone?
«Of course, it is impossible not to know Maradona. He was an idol. I grew up watching Maradona. I still remember that when I went to school on the bus they showed videos of his goals. Maradona was not just a footballer. He was a love for football, for life, for people. He united Naples and Argentina. I once asked an Argentinian client “why are you so good at football?”, and he replied “because we have Italian blood”.
Do you have other special pizzas like this on the menu?
«We make the classic cartwheel, in all the classic flavors and with typical Campania products. This Mano de Dios is one of a kind not only for the shape, but also for the culture it contains. For me it’s a way to talk about Naples.”
What did it mean for you to bring the art of Neapolitan pizza outside of Naples?
«For me it meant many things: not only making real pizza known, but also the true Neapolitan culture. There are still many unjustified stereotypes about Naples and those who live there, which with our work we can help to dismantle. Naples is beautiful and ugly at the same time, like people who can be good and bad at the same time. Certainly if I hadn’t been born in Naples I wouldn’t be who I am. There is a saying that “Oh Neapolitan if it’s bad but he won’t die“, that is, “the Neapolitan can become skin and bones but not die”. We know how to resist, even in absolute poverty. Like we all have to learn, but I believe that the uniqueness of Neapolitans also lies in the ability to get up again. A bit like I I made it”.
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