A culinary institution. And just one of the many reasons to visit the City of Naples.
12 Jul 2020
Gruppo UNA
Naples is ground zero of pizza, as everyone knows. What everyone may not know is that in Napoli this incredible dish takes on all kinds of different shapes, sizes and tastes. Indeed, when all of the city’s wood-burning ovens were knocked out of action by bombing during the Second World War, the ingenuity of the Neapolitan people came into its own, inventing the fried pizza!
Let’s head off to find the best places to taste this delicacy.
Antica Pizza Fritta da Zia Esterina Sorbillo - Piazza Trieste e Trento.
Antica Pizza Fritta da Zia Esterina Sorbillo is the place for proper “Pizza Fritta” in true Neapolitan tradition, served using a classic recipe and innovative light dough. Sorbillo is one of Naples’ oldest families of pizza makers. For years, pizza here has been taken by the ears and baptized in oil, caressed with paper and then carried in triumph as a trophy. Gino Sorbillo also founded the Casa della Pizza, a space open to all pizza lovers, not just pizzaioli (pizza chefs) to chat, exchange tips, holds meetings and debate on the most famous and beloved Neapolitan dish in all the world.
Concettina ai 3 Santi - Via Arena della Sanità.
Sanità is one of the oldest of Neapolitan quarters, rich in the heritage of yesteryear. Visiting it is a unique experience. When it comes to sightseeing, you’ve got Paleochristian Catacombs, the Fontanelle Cemetery and baroque noble palaces. But there’s another good reason to go too: a tastebuds-related reason. In Sanità, you may sample one of the best pizzas in Napoli, at young pizzaiolo Ciro Oliva’s place. Concettina ai Tre Santi first opened its doors in 1951, when Ciro’s great-grandmother, Concettina Flessigno Oliva, churned out fried pizzas for the entire district with joy and dedication.
Antica friggitoria La Masardona - Piazza Vittoria.
In Naples, fried pizza is synonymous with La Masardona. Here, they use the original recipe from the period immediately after the war, when they started frying pizza out in the streets to earn some money.
The times may have changed, but here the kneading, leavening and frying of pizzas continues as if it were a life mission, respectfully combining a thin-crust dough with pizza fillings. The Piccirillo family’s pizzeria won MangiaeBevi 2017 award for best street food. Fun fact: their fried pizza dough is the very same as the one Sophia Loren made and fried in the movie L’Oro di Napoli.
Pizzeria De’ Figliole - Via Giudecca Vecchia.
Not far from Castel Capuano, the oldest manner house in old Naples, more specifically in Via Giudecca Vecchia, is the Pizzeria De’ Figliole, which has been a benchmark for fried pizza lovers since 1860. It’s not a pizzeria where, as in most, they happen to make fried pizza, it’s a place that serves and prepares only fried pizza, making new combinations of classic basic ingredients such as ricotta cheese, cicoli, salami, fiordilatte, tomato and pepper.
Where to stay in Naples.
A balcony with a view, light-coloured wooden furniture and artistic tuff murals, at a historic building in Naples... Welcome to Gruppo UNA UNAHOTELS Napoli, whose central location is ideal for enjoying all the authentic delights Neapolitan life has to offer.