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Eat pizza at its birthplace, Naples

Food & Drink

Eat pizza at its birthplace

Naples · Campania

QUICK INFORMATION

CATEGORY
Food & Drink
COUNTRY
Italy
REGION
Naples · Campania
DURATION
A meal
DIFFICULTY
No effort — order and eat.
BEST TIME
Year-round; pizza is the daily food of the city.

ABOUT THIS EXPERIENCE

Naples is the birthplace of pizza, and eating one here is the most essential food experience in the city. The margherita — tomato, mozzarella and basil, the colours of the Italian flag — was created in 1889 by pizzaiolo Raffaele Esposito for Queen Margherita, and the pizza of Naples is still defined by its soft, leavened crust, its wood-fired oven and its simple ingredients: San Marzano tomatoes, mozzarella di bufala and olive oil. The historic pizzerias of the old town — Da Michele, Trianon, Sorbillo, Gino Sorbillo — bake them by the thousand each day, and the art of the Neapolitan pizzaiolo was inscribed on the UNESCO intangible heritage list in 2017. Eating a pizza standing at the counter of a historic pizzeria is the most Neapolitan thing you can do.

WHAT YOU’LL EXPERIENCE

What you’ll experience

More here soon — the road is still being mapped.

THE EXPERIENCE IN DETAIL

What it’s really like

More here soon — the road is still being mapped.

HIGHLIGHTS

Moments worth savouring

01

The margherita — the original pizza, tomato, mozzarella and basil, created here in 1889.

02

The wood-fired oven — the dome oven that bakes the pizza in 60–90 seconds at 485°C.

03

The historic pizzerias — Da Michele, Trianon, Sorbillo and the others of the old town.

04

The leavened crust — the soft, airy base that distinguishes the Neapolitan pizza from the Roman.

WHAT TO EXPECT

Good to know before you go

More here soon — the road is still being mapped.

PRACTICAL INFORMATION

Before you go

Access
The historic pizzerias are in the old town, on the Via dei Tribunali and the Via San Giuseppe; expect queues at the famous ones.
Best Time
Lunch and dinner; the pizzerias are open through the day.
Context
Pizza is the everyday food of Naples, eaten by locals as much as by visitors.

MAP & LOCATION

Eat pizza at its birthplace

Eat pizza at its birthplace, Naples, Campania, Italy

40.8518, 14.2681

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ATTRACTIONS NEARBY

Pair it with these sights

Historic Centre and Spaccanapoli, Naples
Neighbourhoods

Historic Centre and Spaccanapoli

The UNESCO-listed old town of Naples, the largest in Europe — the Spaccanapoli, the straight Greek-Roman street that splits the centre, lined with churches, palazzi and the dense street life of the city.

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National Archaeological Museum, Naples
Museum

National Archaeological Museum

The world’s finest museum of Roman antiquity, holding the mosaics, frescoes and treasures removed from Pompeii and Herculaneum — the best place to see what the buried cities looked like.

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Royal Palace and Capodimonte, Naples
Landmark

Royal Palace and Capodimonte

The Bourbon Royal Palace on Piazza del Plebiscito and the Capodimonte palace-museum on the hill above — the seat of the 18th-century kingdom and its great art collection.

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Underground Naples (Napoli Sotterranea), Naples
Archaeological Site

Underground Naples (Napoli Sotterranea)

The Greek-Roman aqueducts, cisterns and passages beneath the old town — a layered underground city 40 metres below the streets, used for water, shelter and war across 2,400 years.

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MORE EXPERIENCES

More to do in Naples

Drive the Amalfi Coast road, Naples
Scenic & Viewpoints

Drive the Amalfi Coast road

A drive along the SS163, the winding coast road that clings to the cliffs between Sorrento and Salerno — one of the most celebrated coastal drives in the world.

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Climb Mount Vesuvius, Naples
Nature & Hiking

Climb Mount Vesuvius

A hike to the crater rim of Vesuvius, the volcano that buried Pompeii and Herculaneum in AD 79 — the only active volcano on the European mainland, with the view over the bay and the crater.

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FOOD & DRINK

Where to eat nearby

01

L’Antica Pizzeria da Michele — the most famous pizzeria in Naples, the birthplace of the margherita, since 1870

02

Pizzeria Gino Sorbillo — the celebrated pizzeria on the Via dei Tribunali, queues around the block

03

Trattoria da Nennella — a boisterous trattoria in the Spanish Quarter for honest Neapolitan cooking

04

Trattoria San Ferdinando — a refined trattoria near the Royal Palace for classic Neapolitan dishes

05

Pintauro — the historic fry-shop on the Via Toledo, for cuoppo and fried street food since 1750

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HOTELS & STAYS

Where to stay nearby

01

Grand Hotel Vesuvio — a grand seafront hotel with views of the bay and Vesuvius, since 1882

02

Romeo Hotel — a design hotel by the harbour, with a rooftop pool and bay views

03

Hotel Piazza Bellini — a boutique hotel in the historic centre, in a 16th-century building

04

Hotel Costantinopoli 104 — a charming garden hotel near the National Museum, good value

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NEARBY DESTINATIONS

Continue the journey

Pompeii

Pompeii

Campania

Amalfi Coast

Amalfi Coast

Campania

Capri

Capri

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INTERESTS

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PART OF

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