Rome and Naples are the two great pizza cities of Italy — and they have almost nothing in common. Roman pizza is thin, crispy, and eaten at room temperature. Neapolitan pizza has a puffy, charred crust and is eaten immediately from the oven. Rome does both, in its own way. These ten addresses represent the finest versions of each style — and a few that defy categorisation.
Gabriele Bonci is the most influential pizza maker in Italy — and Pizzarium is the original address that changed how the world thought about Roman pizza al taglio (by the slice, by weight). Long-fermented dough with extraordinary structure, seasonal toppings changed daily. The mortadella and pistachio is legendary. Near the Vatican; always a queue.
The most creative serious pizza in Rome — Pier Daniele Seu's pizzeria in Trastevere makes pizza that combines Neapolitan technique with completely Roman sensibility. The dough is extraordinary: 72-hour fermentation, perfectly charred crust, cloud-like interior. The seasonal specials change weekly and are always the best thing on the menu.
The finest Roman tonda (thin, round, crispy pizza) near the historic centre — Emma makes the style that Romans have been eating for generations: thin enough to be almost crackers, with impeccable toppings and a sourdough base that gives it far more flavour than the tourist versions that surround it.
Not technically pizza, but the pizza bianca (white pizza — flat bread with olive oil and salt) at Forno Campo de' Fiori is one of the great breads of Rome and must be eaten at least once. The long rectangular slabs come out of the oven throughout the morning. Eat it standing on the Campo de' Fiori. Remarkable.
The bakery arm of the legendary Roscioli family — the pizza al taglio here is some of the finest in Rome, made with the same attention to ingredient quality that characterises everything the Roscioli family touches. The pizza with mortadella and stracciatella is outstanding. Buy a slice and eat it in Campo de' Fiori.
One of the most exciting young pizza addresses in Rome — 180g makes Roman tonda with a precision and lightness that is genuinely extraordinary. The dough has a 48-hour fermentation and the toppings are sourced with the same rigour as any serious restaurant. Booking is essential; the Testaccio neighbourhood is well worth the detour.
The most Roman pizza experience in the city — Da Remo in Testaccio has been serving the neighbourhood's thin, crispy, abundant pizzas since 1969, and it shows not the slightest interest in tourism. Cash only, long communal tables, and the best suppli (fried rice balls) in Testaccio as a starter. Arrive hungry and early.
The original Roscioli bakery — a Roman institution since the 19th century. The pizza al taglio here, particularly the pizza with tomato and the pizza with potato and rosemary, is the definitive version of the Roman street food that generations of schoolchildren have eaten for lunch. Simple, perfect, Roman.
A Roman invention from 2008 that has become a Roman institution — the trapizzino is a triangle of pizza bianca stuffed with traditional Roman stews: coda alla vaccinara (oxtail), pollo alla cacciatora (hunter's chicken), puntarelle in salsa di alici (chicory with anchovy). Multiple locations across the city; the Testaccio original is the best.
Rome's Eataly food hall contains three different pizza addresses — Roman, Neapolitan, and al taglio — making it the best single place to understand the full spectrum of Italian pizza styles in one visit. The Neapolitan pizza at the dedicated station is made by a proper Neapolitan pizzaiolo and is genuinely excellent.
