The best pizza in Italy (la migliore pizza in Italia) isn't a single definable answer, it is a question about which pizza style and which pizza tradition you are seeking. Italy has 4 completely distinct regional pizza cultures that are as specifically different from each other as Barolo is from Prosecco: the Neapolitan (the original, UNESCO-protected, cooked at 450-480°C for 60-90 seconds, soft and slightly charred center). The Roman tonda (the thin, crispy base, often cooked in an electric oven, sliced into wedges). The Roman al taglio (the rectangular slab-pizza sold by weight from the counter, the most specifically Roman street food format). And the Sicilian sfincione (the thick spongy base baked in a rectangular tray with the specific onion, tomato, anchovy, and caciocavallo topping, the most specifically Palermo-unique single pizza variant). Each style is best at its origin. Ordering a Neapolitan-style pizza in Rome is the most specifically Italian "wrong order in the wrong place" single food decision.
How do you want to see it?
Lazio, ItalyCompare the same experience on GetYourGuide and Viator, save what you like to My Trip, share it, and book when you’re sure. Nearest to this page first.
Best Pizza in Italy: Region by Region
Naples: The Verace Pizza Napoletana (VPN)
The Verace Pizza Napoletana (the VPN, the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana (AVPN) certification program: the most specifically regulated single Italian pizza production standard: the specific requirements include the Caputo "00" flour (type 00 (doppio zero) flour milled from the specific soft wheat: the most specifically extensible single Italian pizza dough flour), the specific San Marzano DOP tomato sauce (the most specifically sweet and least specifically acidic single Italian tomato variety, grown only in the specific Agro Sarnese-Nocerino volcanic plain south of Naples), the specific fior di latte mozzarella (the fresh cow's-milk mozzarella from the Agerola area (GPS: 40.6372°N, 14.5489°E: the specific Agerola altitude (655m) creates the most specifically clean single milk source for the fior di latte)), and the specific wood-fired oven at 450-480°C for 60-90 seconds. The specific Naples VPN pizzerias: L'Antica Pizzeria da Michele (GPS: 40.8509°N, 14.2625°E. Via Cesare Sersale 1: est. 1870, the oldest continuously operating single Naples pizzeria, serving only 2 pizza options (margherita and marinara): margherita €5.50. The most consistently described "most specifically real Naples pizza" single address in any Italian food guide, queue expected: 30-45 minutes). Gino Sorbillo (GPS: 40.8508°N, 14.2594°E. Via dei Tribunali 32: the most specifically internationally famous single Sorbillo family pizzeria: margherita €5. VPN certified. Via dei Tribunali location is the most consistently recommended single "Naples pizza street" destination). Di Matteo (GPS: 40.8512°N, 14.2598°E. Via dei Tribunali 94: the most specifically "local Neapolitans eat here" single Tribunali street pizzeria: margherita €4, the most affordable VPN-certified single Naples pizza).
Pizza Italy: tours & tickets
Compare guided tours, skip-the-line tickets and day trips for Pizza Italy.
See availability & prices →Compare tours on Viator →We may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.Rome: The Tonda and the Al Taglio
The Roman pizza tonda (the thin-crust round pizza): the most specifically distinct from the Neapolitan (the Roman tonda is made with a less-hydrated dough, stretched thinner, and cooked at lower temperature (280-320°C) in the specific electric oven for 4-6 minutes, giving the characteristically crispy and more structurally rigid single result). The most specifically recommended single Roman pizza tonda address: La Gatta Mangiona (GPS: 41.8698°N, 12.4471°E. Via Federico Ozanam 30, Monteverde neighborhood: the most consistently reviewed single "best Roman pizza" by the Italian food press: the specific La Gatta bianca (the white pizza with the specific bufala mozzarella from Caserta and the specific colatura di alici drizzle): approximately €14-16). The Roman pizza al taglio (the rectangular slab pizza sold by weight): the most specifically Roman single street food format (the specific al taglio counter (il banco al taglio): the pizza is displayed in the large rectangular trays, cut with scissors, weighed, and priced at approximately €3-6 per 100g). The most specific single Roman al taglio address: Bonci Pizzarium (GPS: 41.9063°N, 12.4570°E. Via della Meloria 43, Prati neighborhood: the most internationally acclaimed single Roman al taglio: the specific "potato, rosemary, and black truffle" slice: €5 per 100g, the most specifically luxury single Roman al taglio offering).
Sicily: The Sfincione di Palermo
The sfincione di Palermo (the Palermo slab pizza: from the Arabic "isfang" (sponge), the specific Arab culinary influence on Sicilian pizza culture): the most specifically Palermo-unique single pizza variant: a thick (3-4cm) spongy dough base topped with the specific cooked onion (la cipolla sfritta), the specific crushed tomato, the specific anchovy, and the grated caciocavallo cheese, the most specifically umami-rich single Italian pizza tasting (the combination of the anchovy salt and the caciocavallo sharpness with the specific sweet onion base is the most specifically southern Mediterranean single pizza flavour profile). The Ballarò market sfincione (GPS: 38.1110°N, 13.3592°E, the Palermo Ballarò market vendors: the most specifically traditional single sfincione buy context. €2 per slice at the specific market stall): the most specifically affordable and most specifically authentic single Sicilian pizza experience.
Q&A: Best Pizza in Italy
Is the Naples pizza actually better than the Rome pizza?
They are different rather than comparable on a single quality scale, the specific answer depends on what you value: the Neapolitan pizza prioritises the dough's specific "leopard spotting" (the specific char pattern from the 480°C wood-fired oven that creates the most specifically complex single Italian pizza crust flavour), the moist center (the specific Neapolitan "cornicione" (the raised edge ring) is the most specifically airy single pizza edge available in any Italian pizza style), and the specific freshness of the unmixed toppings (the fior di latte, the San Marzano, and the basil are placed on the pizza raw and cooked together in 90 seconds). The Roman pizza tonda prioritises structural rigidity (the pizza can be picked up by the slice without the toppings falling), the specific cheese coverage uniformity, and the crispy base textural contrast. The most specific and most honest single Italy pizza answer: whichever style you eat in the specific city where it originates is the best pizza available at that specific moment.