Welcome to Naples.
Harry Kersh: Hey guys, it's Harry.
Claudia Romeo: And this is Claudia.
And today we're in Naples, Italy,
in the birthplace of pizza
to find out which one has the best one in town.
Harry: So, there are over 3,000 pizzerias here in Naples,
and pizza is a huge part of the culture.
We've used TripAdvisor, YouTube, social media
to narrow it down to a top four.
Claudia: We also spoke to a local expert
that has eaten hundreds of pizzas in his life.
And he's gonna give us his take
on what a real Neapolitan pizza is.
Antonio Fucito: So, pizza from Neapolitan
is a kind of ritual.
We cannot wait to eat the next pizza.
And we just dream about that thought all the time.
A typical, classic margherita is made with
tomato sauce, fior di latte cheese, some basil,
and you can add also some pecorino,
if you like a more rich flavor.
Harry: Now, it's really warm.
It's really early, but I'm excited to eat some pizza.
Should we go?
Claudia: Yeah, let's go.
Our first stop is at Gino e Toto Sorbillo,
which is located in Naples' historic city center.
Antonio: Sorbillo, maybe, is the most social pizza place
in Italy and in the world because the owner,
Gino Sorbillo, is very well known around the globe.
He likes to experiment using
some biological flour
and try to push more in terms of ingredients
in terms of atmosphere in the center of Napoli.
Claudia: We joined Gino Sorbillo in his kitchen
to show us how he makes his version
of the perfect margherita pizza.
Harry: This is a Sorbillo pizza.
What's it look like to you, Claudia?
Claudia: Well, it looks incredible.
I mean, just like, look at all the colors in here.
I love the fact that the mozzarella is, like,
sprinkled all over,
and sort of, like, mixed in with the tomato sauce.
Do you know about the trick that you
have to fold the tip?
Harry: Interesting, OK.
Claudia: I've never actually believed in it, but,
this makes it look like...
oh, look at the juices coming out.
That's it.
Harry: Cheers! Claudia: Cheers!
Just, like, biting into that basil leaf,
it's so refreshing.
I love how it's, like, all one flavor.
They all mix in together. Like, so heavenly.
Harry: Yeah, they really do.
I got a lot of the tomato, that's, like,
that kind of acidity,
sweetness from the tomato is really, really good.
Claudia: The pizza itself is, like, building up,
like, from the actual crust to the tip.
So you find the crust, it's, like, thicker,
and then, of course, there's this juice.
But it's still, like, very soft on the inside,
crunchy on the outside, and then when you reach the tip
it's just, like, all the flavors coming together
and clicking at the same time.
And you just reach that, like, perfection.
Harry: Next, we head to Starita, a pizzeria
which is run by four generations of the Starita family,
who famously made pizza for Pope John Paul II
in the year 2000.
Antonio: Starita is another historic place.
It offers many, many different kind of pizza.
Even the shapes, they have a horn pizza,
horn fried pizza, it's very nice to try.
And the owner, Don Antonio, is a master of marinara.
Harry: It seems like there's maybe a bit more cheese
than we had at Sorbillo.
It's, or at least it's kinda like,
it pulls a bit more.
The crust looks incredible.
The crust is a bit more, like, pronounced on this pizza.
Claudia: I think this one looks a bit more uniform,
like, all colors are blend perfectly together.
The tomato sauce looks brighter,
just, like, looks slightly more red.
Wow.
That tomato sauce is really kicking in.
Harry: Mm-hmm, that hits you.
So, as we mentioned at the start,
like, this dough has got such a nice color to it.
It's got that kinda, like, leopard-spotting going on,
which, again, just like, all of that is flavor
'cause that's just coming straight from the oven,
straight from the wood going straight onto the pizza.
So, maybe a little bit more, like, chewy and dense
than the one we had before.
Claudia: The pizza toppings themselves, like,
they're quite richer, I think.
Apart from the tomato, like, the mozzarella
is just, like, more in volume,
so I think you need, like, a stronger base to hold it,
and then also, did you notice with this one
we didn't flip, we didn't flip the tip?
There was no need for it.
I mean, there was still a lot of juice coming out,
slight bit of oil, few drops,
so I quite like that, so I appreciate that.
We now head out of the city center
to visit Pizzaria La Notizia.
Antonio: La Notizia is far from the center,
but it's a nice place because the owner,
Enzo Coccia, is a kind of a bible of pizza.
He knows everything about the pizza,
and he has a kind of pizza
that tends to have more high-quality ingredients,
so the price is higher than other places,
but it's worth it.
Welcome to Naples.
Harry: This one, the crust looks a lot more, like,
evenly browned than previous ones,
where in the past it's been kinda, like,
pale in some spots and then quite charred on the other.
This is more like an even golden brown,
which is interesting.
So, one thing they do here,
similarly to what they were doing at Starita
is they actually add some pecorino onto the pizza,
which to the sort of the purists
might be a little bit controversial,
but I'm interested to see if it kinda, like,
adds another layer to the classic margherita.
Claudia: Yeah, I have my doubts because
I'm not a big fan of grated cheese and pizza,
especially because there's already mozzarella in there,
which is, like, the cheese, for me.
So, well, let's see.
You don't judge a book by its cover, let's try it.
Yeah, you get quite a lot of the pecorino, actually.
Harry: I quite like it.
Do you like it?
Claudia: Yeah, it's not too bad, like,
I had it with, like, a lot of my,
the basil leaf on my slice,
and they blended together quite well,
like, the basil and the pecorino.
Harry: Yeah, I was gonna say it's a lot more, like, sharp
compared to just mozzarella,
which can just kinda blend into the sauce and other stuff,
so you actually get, like, a cheesier taste with it.
Claudia: Yeah, first bite is definitely cheesy.
What do you think of the crust?
Harry: I think it's good.
It's got more chew to it than,
say, Sorbillo did,
but I quite like it, it's chewy,
and, again, it's useful 'cause it just holds things better
if it's got a bit more, like, strength to it.
Claudia: It's quite interesting because, I don't know,
if you notice, like this one has, like,
it's quite similar in terms of, like, the way it looks
to Sorbillo's, but then its texture is quite, like,
it's just another game.
Like, it's much more uniform and, like,
it has a stronger bite, which is definitely
slightly harder I would say.
Harry: Next, we head to our final stop.
Antica Pizzeria Da Michele.
It's known for its huge pizzas,
and it shot to fame when it was featured
in "Eat Pray Love," starring Julia Roberts.
Antonio: La Michele, of course,
is very famous for the movie "Eat Pray Love,"
but also for its style.
It's called in Italian "a ruota di carro."
It's like wagon wheels.
It means nothing in English,
but it means that the,
it's so big, it's bigger than the plate behind pizza.
Harry: This might be the best-looking pizza
that we've had today.
I think in terms of, like, they've really got
the kind of leopard-spotting on the crust
just really perfect.
It's a lovely golden-brown color,
then you've got a lot of these charred spots going on.
The distribution of the cheese looks quite good,
and you've got the basil as well.
It just all looks very picture-perfect.
Claudia: Yeah, that's true,
and I also like the fact that you can see,
like, the tomato sauce sort of, like,
fading into the crust in here
and getting, like, sort of orangey.
Yeah, I agree. Like, you know,
if you want an Insta shot,
this is your pizza.
Are you channeling your inner Julia Roberts?
How much of a relationship are you having with
this pizza right now?
Harry: I'm, like, in a committed relationship
with this pizza.
We're thinking about buying a house together.
Claudia: Yeah, yeah, I like this a lot.
Harry: I was also, I was interested to hear that
they don't use olive oil here,
they use soy oil instead.
You get the kind of texture that we're used to,
but I think,
I mean, I can definitely taste a bit more of kinda
the mozzarella, I think,
and the tomato as well, so I think it's a pretty good idea.
Claudia: Yeah, definitely,
there was no oil at all in the bite that I just gave,
it was really just, like, all the juices
from the mozzarella and the tomato.
Really couldn't taste the oil.
Harry: Yeah, I think the crust definitely
isn't quite as doughy as we had it at La Natizia.
I've had to bring the flip back to kinda make sure
that it doesn't fall apart on me too much,
but it's good.
It really is, it's less about the crust,
more about the toppings and, like,
the freshness of the tomato.
Claudia: Now it's time for us to decide
which pizza is the best of the best.
So, here we are,
we're standing in front of Mount Vesuvius,
which is Naples' iconic volcano,
and it is time to pick our winner.
Harry: We've eaten some amazing pizzas today,
and picking a winner is gonna be really tough,
but I'm fairly confident in my decision,
so I think we should see what we picked.
One, two, three.
Ah, OK.
Claudia: Oh, yeah, I see why you're going for that one.
Harry: OK, we've got a split.
So, let's see if one of us can convince
the other to come around.
So, why did you like Starita so much?
Claudia: Well, the reason why I like Starita was, like,
because Don Antonio was, like,
really, really bringing the vibe, like,
up to the next level.
Like, it was such a nice character, and he's, like,
among our top four and is, like,
really making, like, a (chef's kiss),
out-of-this-world product.
And I also, yeah,
I also liked the fact that he put olive oil on top of it,
which is something that Da Michele doesn't have.
Harry: So, you make some very good points.
I went for Da Michele
because it just kind of had everything that you would expect
from a traditional Neapolitan pizza joint.
The vibe in there was great as well,
it was very traditional, you had the kind of tiled floors
and tiled walls.
It still looked the same as it did back when
Julia Roberts had a relationship with her pizza
back in "Eat Pray Love,"
so I think, kind of, if you're a tourist
who's coming to Naples and looking for a Neapolitan pizza,
I think that would give you maybe
the best, like, touristy experience.
Claudia: Wouldn't you say that, like,
maybe Da Michele was what Starita is now
about, like, 20 years ago?
You know, when, like, the owners were still, like,
actually there making the pizza,
you know, you were getting in and you were
welcomed by, like, the old guy
that was, like, very passionate about their work
and then they were showing you around, you know.
To me, that is, like, really, really important,
to have not only the product,
but also, like, the person that makes it, that likes,
really really strongly loves it,
and is still kind of, like, there looking after tradition.
Harry: I think I'm gonna have to agree with you.
I think if you want a really authentic experience,
Starita's the place to go,
just because Don Antonio loved what he did so much.
It really did show,
and the pizza had olive oil,
which apparently is a deal breaker for Claudia.
Claudia: Yeah, no olive oil, no party.