Pizza napoletana

The AVPN's disciplinare is specific, and most of it can be checked with your eyes:

• Size: round, 22–35 cm across, from a dough ball of 200–280 g.
• Rim: the cornicione is raised, puffy and 1–2 cm high, without burnt patches.
• Center: no thicker than 0.25 cm, give or take 10 percent. That is why it goes soft under the tomato.
• Dough: 00 or 0 flour, water, sea salt, yeast. No fat, no sugar. Total rise of 8 to 24 hours.
• Shaping: by hand, pressing from the center outward. No rolling pin.
• Toppings: hand-crushed peeled tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella in slices or fior di latte (cow's milk) in strips, fresh basil, extra virgin olive oil in a spiral.
• Oven: wood-fired, 430–480°C, 60–90 seconds.

AVPN membership is voluntary. Plenty of excellent pizzerias are not members, and a sticker on the door is not a guarantee.

In 2017 UNESCO inscribed the Art of the Neapolitan 'Pizzaiuolo' on its Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage. The listing protects the craft: the four phases of preparing the dough and baking it in a wood oven, and the rotating movement of the baker. UNESCO counts about 3,000 pizzaiuoli living and working in Naples, and says the skill is passed on mainly in the bottega, where apprentices watch masters work. Stand where you can see the oven.

The margherita is the benchmark: tomato, cheese, basil, oil. Check what the cheese is. Da Michele uses fior di latte; Umberto's €10.50 margherita uses fior di latte from Agerola, and its €12 "DOP" pizza swaps in Mozzarella di Bufala Campana, which is wetter.

The marinara has no cheese at all: tomato, garlic, oregano, oil. It is usually the cheapest pizza on the menu (€5.50 at Sorbillo, €6.50 at Da Michele) and it hides nothing, so it is the fairest test of a dough. Order one of each and share.

Queues are the other cost. Our queue page weighs an hour in line against a pizzeria with a free table, and the pizza guide sorts the shortlist by style.

• One each. Pizzas are individual in Naples. Sharing one between two is unusual; ordering two different ones and swapping halves is not.
• Eat it at once. The center goes soggy within minutes. That is also why takeaway pizza travels badly.
• Cutlery is fine. Start with a knife and fork, then fold the rim by hand.
• On the street, ask for a pizza a portafoglio: a small pizza folded in four, eaten from paper.

Naples Official Pizza Making Class & Tiramisu with wood oven

Up to 12 people; under-18s need a parent. Not wheelchair accessible. The same company sells a similar class on Viator (162012P5) with a €39 from-price.

3 hours

4.9★★★★★★★★★★(6,428 reviews)

Reserve

Rating as shown on GetYourGuide

Authentic Naples Food Tour with 8+ Tastings of Pizza, Wine & More

Up to 12, English only; ends at Piazza del Gesù. Give dietary needs in advance.

3.5 hours

5.0★★★★★★★★★★(996 reviews)

Reserve

Rating as shown on Viator

Pizza and Tiramisù Making class

One drink is included; further drinks, extra toppings and an apron to take home cost extra. Up to 15 people.

2 hours

4.8★★★★★★★★★★(354 reviews)

Reserve

Rating as shown on Viator

Booking through these links supports this site at no cost to you. Prices move by date, so we do not print them here; the official prices we checked are in the page above.