Pizza Pizza

One of the things I love best about Italy is the pizza. Naples is the birth place of this perfect creation and it is truly an art form here. There are Ritorante Pizzarias on every corner, and while there are the standard pizzas (Margharita, Diavola, Primavera, Marinara, Nutella, etc.), they also have their own specialties. I’ll share two of my favorites with you.

The first one we discovered shortly after we moved here. I’ve only ever seen it on menus in Casal di Principe and Villa Literno. The ristorante that makes it the best is Locand di Nonn Rafel in Villa Literno. The Americans refer to it as “The Green Awning” because, well, it has a big green awning, or used to anyway. They recently changed to a maroon color, but it will always be The Green Awning. But I digress. Behold the magnificent Pizza Novantuno (91). It looks like a mess, but it is the most amazing tasting mess ever. The fries totally make it (trust me you doubters!). Besides the sauce and mozzarella, beneath all of those fries are pieces of hamburger, spicy sausage, and pancetta. It is not a pizza for the faint of heart! It should also be consumed only once in a great while – I cannot imagine how its nutrition label would read.



The second pizza is a new find from one of the ristorantes here in Castel Volturno: the Ristorante da Attilo. It’s called Pizza Fresca Voglia, and is the exact opposite of the Pizza Novantuno. It’s pretty much a salad on a pizza crust. No sauce, lots of lettuce, ruccola, pomodori, fresh mozzarella (grazie bufale), olives, corn, and tuna. Oooh it’s nice! I feel much less guilty eating this one – and isn’t it just pretty? MOH (My Other Half) insisted that I post the before and after pictures. Whatever, I’m not proud.




MOH also wanted me to add a picture of his new fave. It’s from the Ristorante Da Attilo as well. He has discovered the Ripieno Fritto (much to the chagrin, I am sure, of his arteries). It’s a deep fried calzone. Seriously. They bake it and throw it in the deep fryer. It’s not much to look at but it is filled with melted ricotta and a little bit of tuna. It’s just not right.



Though I have recently complained extensively about the incredibly slow and frustrating way things get done around here, you will never hear a bad word from me about the food. Real Italian food has the freshest and most amazing combinations of flavors and ingredients. It is much lighter than I expected - current pizza post excluded. Someday when I have to return state-side I expect to experience a period of deep mourning.