Finding an authentic pizza is not just about the way it is made, but also experiencing the genuine flavors and the environment it created. Pizza is a whole subculture now. But with increased demand, cutting costs, quicker delivery times, finding a genuine pizza with the environment within Italy is itself a challenge.
Or is it?
Pizza might be celebrated on a bigger scale now but it was always the bread and butter for the Italians. A food option that was cheap, fast, and easily available but at the same time nutritious and filling for the working class people. So does a 23 Euro pizza really make sense? The price itself isn't authentic.
What I realize is that I'm looking for the staple at the wrong places. And I'm sure I'm not the only one. It's like walking out of an airport in Mexico and hoping the "sepia filter" to be true.
Most of the places someone like me would visit are the popular spots for tourists. Places where business factors higher than authenticity and experience.
I shared some thoughts on it in this post. When you have to make the most of what you have, that's when this masterclass really shines. The real deal in such situations is either extremely hard to find or you'll have to wait in long lines and pay the "tourist" price. A lot of the artisans are very hyped and the spots are more for show than authenticity. That does not mean you get the good stuff, because you do, and they are really delicious.
I eventually found the real deal. Found is a big statement. I rather stumbled upon it. It was at this moment I realised I have found the most authentic pizza in Italy.
Stationed at the end of an inconspicuous alley hidden away from the prying eyes of excited tourists and opportunistic greed, camouflaged between short yellow buildings, creeping away from the shopping aisles, at a corner was a humble pizzeria sign.
It was just around sunset when the shops were opening up. The pizzeria had set its tables on the street front where I felt the looks of "aren't you supposed to be on the other side?" become louder as I stepped deeper into the local side of the street away from the beach and hotels meant for the tourists.
This is exactly where you'd imagine you'd get the most authentic pizzas. Pizzas that are just that. Nothing more or less.
No fancy chargers on the tables, no shiny signs, none of that. A ringing can be heard echoing from the inside and the loud yet positive sound of an Italian woman talking over it. Inside there wasn't anything spectacular. In fact, it reminds me of the local shawarma/kebab shops we had in Kharkiv. "Here to feed, not to party" sorta vibes. The place where good and authentic food usually is.
I want to say this is the go to spot for locals to grab a quick slice. The busy chef in the back constantly peeking at the slips and slapping what he picks. The friendly lady shuffling between preparing the front office, taking phone orders, and displays. It is way busy and too humble to be something other than a go-to spot. Orange tiles, simple boards, and a menu hanging next to the door. A couple of ready to go pizzas behind the glass counter sold by the slice. A stack of boxes right behind next to an espresso machine and an old school counter with a warm calzone in a bag waiting to be picked up.
Compared to Milan or Venice, the environment is completely different. It isn't anywhere close to the attractiveness level to which those cities pander to for the tourists, neither is it too authentic to the point that it is ancient and impractical. It is the perfect thing for its time and space, and that only means one thing: authentic. I don't think it gets more genuine than this. There were quite a few options on the menu - but everything pizza and calzone. No extra desserts, no extra shebang. There are drinks and coffee to add to the pizzas but that's about it.
The bufala pizza is basically tomatoes and mozzarella bufala. I will let you immerse yourself into this beauty and appreciate it. I couldn't start to describe why and how it tastes neons better than anything you will have outside Italy or at the popular spots in Italy. Describing it would warrant a whole literary reskilling course. But let's just saythe images, as good as they look, don't do much justice.
The pizzeria made it impossible to fall back to previous practice of judging it by a margarita pizza. There wasn't a shadow of doubt that this is the best pizza I'd ever have and would undoubtedly raise the bar so high that it would never be met unless I'd be eating in a similar place elsewhere in a corner of an Italian city. The Milan and Venice spots feel like a sham in comparison. The pizza is fresh and simple. Just a quick meal that isn't even cut by the chef or put on a fancy platter.
This is at Pietrasanta LU, Italy. If and when the occasion rises, you know where to go to have the most authentic and delicious pizza of the country. Just a couple of minutes away from wherever the tourists are. I'm sure there are more in the area, as long you go deep enough.
Affiliate links
Rising Star
Exode
Huobi
Appics
Splinterlands
Actifit
Binance
Ionomy
Cryptex
