What sort of pizzeria can get away with offering just Pizza Margherita or Pizza Marinara and nothing else?
The answer is: L’Antica Pizzeria Da Michele – probably the best pizzeria in Naples and therefore probably the best pizzeria in Italy and therefore probably the best pizzeria in the world.
To be fair, you can order the Pizza Margherita in two sizes (normale or, if you want something larger, media) and optionally with double mozzarella. The Pizza Marinara comes in three sizes (normale, media and maxi). That’s it – apart from a very small selection of drinks (Coca Cola, Fanta, beer or water).
The Pizza Margherita is made with tomatoes, mozzarella, oil, cheese and basil whereas the Pizza Marinara is simpler and uses just tomatoes, garlic, oregano and oil. Not any old tomatoes; these are San Marzano plum tomatoes grown in the volcanic soil around Mount Vesuvius – ominously visible further along the Bay of Naples. They are stronger and sweeter than the more common Italian Roma plum tomatoes and add character to the sauce.
The mozzarella is fior di latte d’Agerola produced from unpasteurized cow’s milk and made in Agerola – the area between the Bay of Naples and the picturesque Almalfi coast south of Naples. This cheese contains less water than the more expensive buffalo mozzarella and has a delicious sharp milk taste.
The pizza base is as good as it gets; firm-enough to pick up, soft in the mouth but with enough slightly charred bits to bring out the flavour of the wood-fired oven. The dough uses sea salt, Neapolitan water (of course!) and sunflower oil is preferred to the ubiquitous olive oil,
Da Michele have been making pizza (I refuse to write pizzas but pizze seems so pretentious) since 1870 so they know what they’re doing. Unfortunately, everyone in Naples also knows that they know what they’re doing so there’s nearly always a queue to get a table. The restaurant uses a deli-counter-like ticket system (without the number display) but even a long wait is well worthwhile.
Where? L’Antica Pizzeria Da Michele. Via Cesare Sersale, 1, 80139 Napoli. Tel. +39 081 553 9204
Why? Because you’ll still be spoilt for choice.
If you’re travelling further north to Verona, be sure to check out Where … true love might come to a sticky end.