Whenever I thought about Naples as a destination, the first thing that would pop in my mind would be pizzas. I absolutely love Pizzas and when the opportunity arose to visit Naples as part of our P&O cruise, I ensured that Pizzas would somehow be involved in our plans.
Neapolitan Pizza is taken so seriously that there is actually an Associazone Verace Pizza Napoletana that actually award authenticity certificates to pizzerias around the world who meet the stringent criteria of what constitutes a true Neapolitan pizza.
We visited a restaurant, where I actually learned how to make my own pizza and I achieved a dream of being a pizzaiola for the day! A pizzaiola, in case you are wondering, is a female pizza maker. The male version is a Pizzaiolo.
First things first we were told about was the oven in which the pizzas were made. These have to be the traditional dome shaped, wood-fueled ovens. They are usually made with brick or stone and are sealed. In terms of size, they must be 45 to 40cm high. The door must be 22 to 25cm. Yup it is mega strict!
Next up was actually making the pizza! The Pizzaiolo showed us how to make the dough and stretch it out. He even tossed the dough in the air but I wasn’t that brave.
Next up was toppings and we were told that simple and fresh is always best! I topped my pizza with Margherita sauce made with Italian San Marzano tomatoes, Mozzarella and fresh basil.
The pizza then went into the dome shaped oven for between 60-90 seconds and the temperature was approximately 905°F. It immediately started puffing up and you could smell that amazing aroma of freshly baked pizza.
A criteria of true Neapolitan pizza is that it must be thin. The guidelines are that the crust must be 1-2cm. This is absolutely perfect for me as I love my pizzas thin.
Once the pizza is ready, you can’t just help marvel at its beauty. That beautiful charred smokey and bitter crust and moist, bubbly centre. Mamma mia! It was absolutely delicious.
I enjoyed my pizza with my favourite wine – Montepulciano and it was a perfect day. What else does one need apart from delicious wine and a beautiful pizza?
If you don’t want to make the pizza yourself but want to still enjoy Neapolitan pizzas, you can of course order them 😉
There are so many pizzerias in Naples and I really recommend trying out a couple (in the name of research) as you can never have too much pizza in your life. The pizzeria we went to was called La Tama Dell’arte Pizzeria.
If you are planning to visit Naples, this is seriously a must do! Naples is such a pretty place and we wandered around the streets looking at the architecture and learning about the history on a walking tour, which was also really interesting.
I did leave Naples feeling like a dome shaped wood fired oven is needed in my life so one day when I have a big house that is the plan!
Have you made a pizza in Naples? I would love to know in the comments below.
Angie Silver (@SilverSpoonLDN) says
There really is quite literally nothing better than fresh pizza!
Emma @ Adventures of a London Kiwi says
I 100% concur with Angie – it’s unbeatable! Especially when we know a blogging professional pizzaiola who is a whizz in the kitchen…