The most important Italian guide returned to the scores, awarding Pepe in Grani and I Tigli with Tre Spicchi and Pizzarium with the Tre Rotelle. Campania is always the region at the top, while Pappalardo and Vitagliano are the masters of the dough
Round pizza is the most loved dish by ItaliansThis is confirmed by a very recent Doxa research commissioned by Eataly, on Italian pizza consumption habits based on various parameters: frequency, preferred types, choice behaviors and the importance of factors such as ingredients, supply chain and lightness. Among the many data, consumption habits: pizza is consumed once a week by 86% of Italians or almost 9 out of 10 Italians, reaching up to 2 times (40%). A widespread habit especially among the younger public aged between 18 and 24 who go so far as to consume it even three times a week (16%). And it is with all these enthusiasts in mind that the Gambero Rosso has been making the Guide to Pizzerias of Italy. The 2022 edition reports over 680 businesses reported with over 60 new entries and a dedicated appendix of the best Italian pizzerias in the world.
Three Wedges and Three Wheels
At the top of the guide are the pizzerias Three cloves (divided by categories: Neapolitan, Italian and Tasting) e Three Wheels (ie those cut) which from this year have returned to having a score. Among the Tre Spicchi, the best with 96 points out of 100 were Pepe in Grani in Caiazzo (CE) and I Tigli in San Bonifacio (VR) which are led by Franco Pepe and Simone Padoan respectively. Franco Pepe can boast of having the other restaurant – La Filiale in L'Albereta di Erbusco (BS) – in second place with 95 points, together with I Masanielli di Caserta which has its deity in Francesco Martucci and Renato Bosco Pizzeria in San Martino Buon Albergo (VR). On the Tre Rotelle front, number 1 is the Roman Pizzarium by Gabriele Bonci with 95 points, ahead of Renato Bosco's other restaurant – Saporè Pizza Bakery, also in San Martino Buon Albergo – with 94. At 92 there are the Bonci Bakery in Rome, Masardona in Naples and Oliva Pizzamore in Acri (CS).
Sweet Pizza is growing
For the pizza travelers, the most anticipated prizes are those of the Pizza of the Year. In the Tasting category prevailed Lo Spela in Greve in Chianti (FI) with duck breast (cooked at low temperature, fiordilatte, fresh baby spinach, whiskey sauce). The best Italian pizza is prepared by Al4 in Roncade (TV): Tuna Subito, made with smoked scamorza cheese, tuna belly and mixed salad with vinegar, almond tartar sauce. In Aversa (CE), in the rooms of La Contrada, on the other hand, there is the best Neapolitan for the Gambero Rosso inspectors: Summer Light with sauteed escarole, provolone, chickpea hummus, cucunci, cod puff pastry, potato rosti and lemon zest. The number 1 among the pizzas al Taglio can be enjoyed in Rome, at Yeast Pizza, Bread: the topping – all raw – is roasted friggitelli with buffalo mozzarella, cherry tomatoes and anchovies. And still in the capital you can find the best Pizza Dolce – a growing category – from Seu Pizza Illuminati. Peach Absolute is a gem made from white peach namelaka, zabaglione, wine and peach sauce, nectarine brunoise, mint, snuffbox peach chips, pecans.
Campania always queen
As for the regions, Campania – it is not a surprise – is at the top with 19 award-winning venues, followed by Tuscany with 16, Lazio with 14; Piedmont with 7; Veneto with 6; Lombardy and Sicily with 5; Abruzzo and Sardinia with 3; Emilia – Romagna with 2; Liguria, Basilicata, Marche, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Calabria and Puglia with 1. Prestigious awards to the masters of the dough: Antonio Pappalardo from Brescia (who drives La Cascina dei Sapori in Rezzato and Inedito in the capital) and the Neapolitan Diego Vitagliano who works in his own restaurant in Pozzuoli. Having said that Gambero Rosso rightly follows each type, the Doxa-Eataly analysis is very clear in this regard: Italians prefer the classic round pizza in the Italian version, served with condiments ranging from classic to creative (45%) or Neapolitan with a high cornice (31%), probably also the most famous and widespread in our territory. For the Roman, thin and crunchy, we are talking about 11%, while for the cut, in a pan or in a pan we are talking about 7%. The gourmet version, cut into wedges and with refined ingredients, is preferred by only 5%, but it is equally important, given that in every field – including food – the avant-garde is necessary.
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