Florence, Italy: The 3 Best Pizzas!
Delicious, mouth-watering PIZZA!!!
Black crust made with vegetable carbon.
Me, after taking the BEST pizza class in Florence!
When the Moon Hits Your Eye Like a Big Pizza Pie...
REVISED: July 2017
I love pizza and I'm sure that many of you readers do, too. Ancient Romans ate focaccia topped with spices and oil, but the actual pizza the way we know it today was invented in the 19th century. A round focaccia topped with the colors of the Italian flag- tomato sauce(red) mozzarella (white) and basil (green)- was created in honor of Queen Margherita of Savoy during her visit to Napoli. The Pizza Margherita is a classic and remains popular to this day.
Here in Italy, there are many kinds of pizza because of all the different regions. In Tuscany and in the north, pizza tends to have a thin crust, while the further south you go, the thicker the crust gets. In Sicily, for example, they make sfincione- a pizzaso thick that it is baked in a rectangular sheet and cut into square pieces. Which one is the best? Well, that depends on your personal taste.
My criteria for a perfect pizza are the following: delicious crust that is delicate and cooked thoroughly (no raw center), tasty marinara sauce and topped with good quality cheese and toppings.
Here is my list of the top 3 pizzas in Florence (in order of personal preference):
1. Santarpia (Largo Pietro Annigoni, 9): Opened 2016. EXCELLENT pizza made by Giovanni Santarpia, pizzaiolo extrordinaire. Reservations are recommended since the place is usually packed. Giovanni creates amazing pizza with toppings like truffles, lardo di Colonnata, zucchini flowers, artisan sausages, and more.
2. Biancazerozero (Piazza della Passera): Opened in spring 2017. Neapolitan pizza. Dough is surprisingly light, crisp, and won't leave you bloated. They sometimes make black carbon pizza (pretty cool) and offer a special of the day pizza that's a bit pricier than the regular menu but totally worth it.
3. Simbiosi (Via de' Ginori, 56/red): Artisan pizzas with creative toppings. They offer several dough options, including kamut, which I highly recommend. The result was a flaky crust with a nutty flavor. The interior decor is wonderful, so I enjoy dining in when I'm in this part of the city.
Of course, there are MANY other places to enjoy excellent pizza like The Pizza Man (good gluten-free crust), Toto and Affe di Bacco.
If you want to learn how to make wonderful pizza with a professional pizzaiolo, I can personally vouch for the Walkabout Tour's "Pizza & Gelato" class. This highly informative, hands-on class takes place in a beautiful gourmet kitchen set in the lush Tuscan hillside. Of course, there's a wood-fired oven outside, too.
Thank you for reading!
C. De Melo
