A History of Naples: Pizza
For many years I have wanted to put together all the photos, prints, poems, songs, tales, comedies and quotes about Neapolitan pizza that I have come across over the years.
Put simply, everything that I have read, studied and learned about the age-old role of the ‘pizzaiolo’, or pizza chef.
However, there are also the tales passed down by word of mouth from the old pizza chefs when I was growing up in my family’s pizzeria.
These tales were told in a dialect (we called it “parlesia”) which for us was a sort of code, a means of communication known only by the staff, uneducated people who, with their secret way of communicating, could speak in front of customers and visitors without being understood.
I found myself grappling with a huge puzzle where every piece uncovered some fragment of the history and art of a pizzaiolo.
And so, over the years, I have dedicated myself to collecting and joining together all of these pieces in order to finally see the full picture and tell the whole story to both Neapolitans and foreigners.
Seeing how things were going with everything being online now, about 7 years ago, I decided to publish all my research on my website www.pizzanapoletana.it .
Anyone who would like to read over my research may do so freely: the aim of the website is to educate users about Neapolitan pizza over two centuries of history.
Anybody who would be interested in contributing original material or content is very welcome to contact me.
Since childhood I have been fascinated by the art of the pizzaiolo and when, way back in 1980, I took over my family’s pizzeria ‘La Fortuna’ I determined to dedicate my career to Neapolitan pizza .
I enjoy researching, documenting, and collecting books and texts on the ‘genuine’ Neapolitan pizza. It was for this reason that in 2007 I took a master’s degree in “Mediterranean dietary traditions and culture” at Suor Orsola Benincasa University, Naples.
From 1995 to 2000 I was the Director of the Association of Genuine Neapolitan Pizza and later, in 2001, I founded the Association of Neapolitan Pizzaiuoli , known for its work in campaigning the Ministry of Agriculture for the right to STG status (Specialità Tradizionale Garantita – Guaranteed Traditional Speciality) for genuine Neapolitan pizza. In fact, in January 2001 the Association sent me as liaison to start discussions. .Following this, i collaborated with Federico II University, Naples to create a process for certifying quality Neapolitan Pizza. My company, Pizza Consulting, also founded in 2000, has since been providing training courses for pizza chefs , university courses and master’s programs, and consulting services both in Italy and abroad. Ministerial decree n.94 on 8th February 2018 saw me nominated a member of the Co-ordinating Technical Committee for the Year of Italian Food as an ambassador and expert in Neapolitan Pizza by the Ministries of Culture, Tourism, Industry and Commerce.
Over the course of my professional career ‘Gambero Rosso’, RAI, CNN, BBC, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Daily Telegraph and Le Monde have all featured various articles on or interviews with me.
For me the greatest honour is to be a representative for genuine, high quality Neapolitan pizza and to bring the warmth, the identity and the welcoming atmosphere of Naples to the rest of Italy and to the world.
Freshly baked pizza after freshly baked pizza (Neapolitan of course), my story will live on in my sons, Andrea and Marco.